Angel Child
by Sariasprincy
Summary: Five years ago, Sasuke's wife left him and his young child by themselves, but as more missions come in he must ask for Sakura's help, causing rumors to start, former feelings to return and old foes to reappear. SasuSaku. Discontinued.
1. Prologue: Lost Hope

**(A/N: So here's the Prologue for my new SasuSaku story. It should be fairly long and I think fairly good. So tell me what you think. Next chapter out in one week!  
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**Prologue**

Silence filled the streets of the sleeping village of Konoha. It was like a ghost town-deserted, still, and dark. Nothing moved, nothing stirred. The shadows of the night weren't even seen as they blended into the dark stillness.

That's how everything was everywhere, say for the Uchiha Estate inside of one home. Two shadows were dancing angrily, but quietly around with hushed, cold voices.

"I don't know what I was thinking when I married you," a woman's voice hissed.

"You were thinking proudly of yourself; you married me: the infamous Uchiha Sasuke," a male whispered harshly.

"Oh, don't go acting like your all high and mighty."

"Compared to you, I am."

"Excuse me? Who was it that came to me, asking me to marry you?" she bit.

"Everyone knows that I needed a wife to restore the Uchiha Clan. There was no other reason," Sasuke told her coldly.

A sharp breath of pain was inhaled into the woman's lungs. "That's it; I can't take it anymore," the woman said quietly, as she turned her back on her husband and walked upstairs.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, which were flashing between black and red, and waited a few minutes before he followed his 'dearly beloved' upstairs. The sight before him, upon entering the room, gave him a bit of a start.

A few suitcases covered the made bed and clothes were being shoved into them. The woman who was known to be his wife for the past two years was rushing around as quietly as a civilian could without making too much noise.

It took a few seconds for the Uchiha to find his voice: "Where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she hissed, as she threw more clothes into a bag. "I'm leaving."

Sasuke's eyes widened a little for a fraction of a second, but he said nothing.

"You're cold and quiet and always gone. I can't handle it anymore."

"I'm a shinobi; I'm going to be gone," Sasuke replied blankly, but there was still an edge to his voice.

"Well maybe I don't like it," she snapped quietly at him. "I can't stand to be alone with that damn child. She never shuts up!"

Sasuke felt his anger go up a few levels and he moved quickly, grabbing his soon-to-be ex-wife's wrists. "That _damn child_ is your daughter," he hissed dangerously. "And as a mother, you should love her, not despise her."

The woman didn't say anything. She merely looked at her husband, eyes widened in fear and shock, and her breathing was heavy due to the anger inside her body that was still raging.

"Get out," Sasuke spat.

The female ripped her hands out of the Uchiha's grasp and she took a few steps back before she looked up into her ex-lover's eyes to glare threateningly. Then she turned back to the bed and finished her packing quickly.

Sasuke felt angry and frustrated. He thought now that he was at peace in his own mind he could live happily. He's settled down, got married at eighteen, had a beautiful child, moved up in shinobi rank, and he was happy. It was more that he ever thought he could have. But, sadly, all good things come to an end.

The male Uchiha followed his ex-wife the whole way downstairs, but when his foot touched the ground floor, he stopped and watched the woman's every move.

She slipped her shoes on and opened the door, stopping halfway in the process. "I always thought I was fortunate to have married you," she mumbled, her eyes making contact with his, "but now I see I'm rather unfortunate."

Sasuke lost his patience. His eyes flashed, their color turning from black to red, and he gave her a deadly glare. She jumped at the sight and quickly walked out of the Uchiha mansion, slamming the door in her wake.

The sound echoed around the room, extending to the rest of the house and he cringed mentally when a loud cry filled the home.

Slowly, Sasuke turned around and climbed back up the stairs, passing by the bedroom he once shared, to come to a halt in front of a door that held a screaming child. He opened the door and walked over to a crib. Inside held an infant, a one-year old, with black eyes and black hair-a reflection of the great Uchiha.

Carefully, Sasuke bent down and picked the little girl up in his arms. Almost immediately the wailing died down at his touch and a small half-smirk, half-smile formed on the male's lips. She knew her father.

Small hands gripped at his shirt and carefully Sasuke walked over to the chair in the corner of the room. He sat down and began rocking his daughter. A sigh escaped the girl's mouth and her eyes slowly closed-a content expression on her beautiful face.

Sasuke just looked down at his child. She was the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen. How could anyone hate her?

He placed a small, tender kiss on her forehead. And at that moment, everything came crashing down on him: he had to raise this child all on his own. It was going to be extremely tough with being the only one to be there for her, having to be there for her constantly, and not to mention the missions he still had to go on.

It wasn't going to be easy, actually it was going to be the opposite of easy. But his determination was strong and he knew he could do it. He had to; he wasn't going to be his father and he wouldn't abandon this child like her mother had done.

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**(A/N: I think that was fairly suspenseful in a different type of way. I liked how I made Sasuke's personality. Next chapter you'll meet Sasuke's daughter and see what Sakura's been up to!)  
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	2. Favors

**(A/N: Wow, you guys are so awesome when it comes to reviews. I was so excited with the ones last chapter, I'm really excited to see what you all say about this chapter. **

**Updates will now take place once a week by the way!! It helps with my schedule.)**

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**Chapter 001 - Favors**

_Five years later…_

"Tousan," a little girl said, as she held onto her father's hand tightly, "do I really have to get a shot?"

The raven-haired shinobi looked down at his daughter and picked her up so he wouldn't have to look down at her. "Yes. It'll make you healthy, Keda."

Keda looked at her father with eyes that reflected his. They were the darkest black, as dark as a feather on a crow, and her hair matched. "But I am healthy," the little girl argued.

"Hai, but they'll help you stay healthy," he answered, as he approached the front desk.

"Hello, Uchiha-san," a middle aged woman, with chocolate hair and mocha eyes smiled at him. "I suspect you're here for a check up?"

"Hai," Sasuke answered, as his daughter looked over his shoulder.

"One moment please," she said, as she began punching in keys to the computer to bring up their information.

"Tousan, what happened to them?" Keda whispered, as her eyes followed something behind him.

Sasuke turned and looked to see a small ANBU group being brought in on stretchers. A small frown appeared on his face when he recognized a few, though none being close friends of his or any on his ANBU team so he didn't worry much. "They were protecting the village."

"Are they going to be okay?" she asked shakily.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Keda. You'll be in Room 231. Your doctor will be with you shortly."

The older Uchiha looked back to the nurse as she spoke and nodded: "Thank you, Mai-san." Then he took off down the hall, in the direction of the room, away from the injured shinobi. Relief flooded him when he realized he wouldn't have to say anything to Keda about what had happened to them.

Upon entering the room, Sasuke found it empty, but he went in nonetheless and closed the door behind him. Carefully he set his daughter down on the table and pulled up a chair next to it. Lightly, he began tickling his daughter's feet, listening to the quiet giggles she gave off. It was tranquil; one of the few things in his life.

His ex-wife, and Keda's mother, had left about five or so years ago, when she was only one, leaving Sasuke to take care of her on his own. It was hard with missions, but he got by, especially since Naruto became the Rokudaime two and a half years ago and Itachi had been killed off along with most—if not all—the other Akatsuki. He found himself getting missions that didn't last as long so he could be with his child more often; he wouldn't be like his father.

Suddenly the door opened, and Keda smiled brightly at the woman who entered.

She was gorgeous—in Sasuke's words—donning a white lab coat and a black skirt that reached her mid thigh. What made her stand out though, were her emerald eyes and pink medium-length hair.

"Aneue, aneue, did you miss me?" Keda called, stretching her hands out to the woman. Sakura closed the door and reached her hands for her, a bright smile placed on her face.

"Of course I did, Keda-chan!" the pink-haired medic said, as she hugged the younger Uchiha before she pulled a chair and sat down next to the little girl. "Now let's fill out your chart. Name? Uchiha Keda. Age? Five."

"Five?" Keda said, in shock. "Did you forget, aneue? I turned six in March!"

"Oh dear!" Sakura faked surprise. "How could I have been so silly? Of course you did! Your birthday's a week before mine!"

Sasuke smirked, from where he was at Sakura's reaction and the way his daughter called the medic 'aneue' like she was her older sister. Sakura was great with children and he enjoyed the way her eyes lit up every time the konoichi saw his daughter; it made him feel like it helped a little from the past he had put his ex-teammate through. It also helped Keda forget about her mother, whom she had never known.

"Now, then," Sakura said, standing up and walking over to the sink, "roll up your sleeve."

Sasuke noticed how Keda hesitated a moment before doing as she was told. A small frown came to his face when he realized that his daughter was still a little frightened of needles.

Carefully, Sakura disinfected the area on her arm and uncapped a needle with a liquid he didn't know of inside. "Are you going to be alright?" the konoichi asked slowly.

"I-I'll be fine," Keda said, unconvincingly.

Suddenly Sasuke had his daughter's hand in his own and the little girl looked away and closed her eyes as Sakura pushed the needle into her skin. A second later, Sakura removed it and hid the needle out of side before speaking: "Alright. All done."

"Really?" Keda asked; her face turned toward the medic, a look of wonder on her innocent face.

Sakura nodded her head as she placed a pink bandage on her arm where the needle had recently been. Immediately, Keda jumped off the table, ready to be out of the hospital, as Sakura spoke: "You take care of yourself and I'll see you soon."

The pink-haired medic walked back to the sink and rewashed her hands as the younger Uchiha hugged her from behind. "I'll miss you, aneue!"

Sakura dried her hands and knelt down to be at the girl's height before she wrapped the girl up into her arms. "Don't worry. I'll see you soon."

Slowly, Keda pulled back and nodded. "I love you, aneue."

"I love you too," Sakura answered, with a smile as she stood up.

Then she walked out of the room and was gone from sight. Sasuke felt a frown form on his face, but he quickly covered it up as he took his daughter by the hand and led her back to the front desk.

As soon as he walked in front of the desk, he froze, like a jolt had gone through him.

Slowly, he let go of his daughter's hand and turned to the nurse at the front. "Mai-san, will you watch Keda for me for a second? I forgot to ask Haruno-san something,"

"Sure, no problem, Uchiha-san." The woman said, getting up to walk around the side of the desk to be able to keep an eye on the Uchiha's child.

"You stay with Mai-san, okay, I'll be right back."

Keda nodded and Sasuke turned on his heels and hurried down the hall in the direction he last saw Sakura headed. Quickly he made his way to the konoichi's office and knocked a few times.

"Come in," Sakura called after a second.

Sasuke stepped in and closed the door behind him. Immediately he noticed how clean and organized her office was, say for her desktop, which looked like a file had thrown up on it. But then again it was just like the konoichi to have everything clean; except for the place she needed it the most.

Sakura had her back to him, but after a moment, she turned and looked at him. "Sasuke? Didn't expect to see you so soon. Was there something you needed?"

He knew Sakura had dropped the 'kun' from his name long ago so the fact she didn't do it now didn't faze him. Instead, he got straight to the point of why he was there. "I need to ask you a favor."

"Yes, anything," Sakura answered, with her ever-bright smile on her face.

"Naruto assigned me a mission a few days ago that I need to leave for tomorrow morning. It's planned to be a week long mission and I was wondering if you could watch Keda for me?"

Sakura was quiet for a moment as she thought over what Sasuke had just said, but after a moment, she smiled and nodded. "Sure, I can do that."

Relief flooded throughout the Uchiha's body. He knew he could count of Sakura to do something this big for him.

Ever since he had returned to Konoha all those years back, the two had held a strong bond, seeing as all the konoichi wanted from her ex-teammate was to be a close friend. They had started off rough, which was to be expected, and slowly grew onto a much steadier and reliable bond. The two were close, though they hardly ever had time to speak with each other, seeing as Sakura was busy at the hospital and Sasuke was on missions or distracted with Keda. Still, the two remained close.

"Thank you," Sasuke said, offering her a small smirk, which he knew she knew was the closet thing to a smile.

That was until a knock interrupted them and a nurse walked in. "Haruno-san, Hokage-sama has-," she stopped when she saw the Uchiha. "Should I come back later?"

"No, we were done," Sasuke answered, as he stepped aside to let the nurse make her way to the pink-haired medic.

Sakura watched the Uchiha for a moment before turning her attention to the woman whom had barged in. "What did you say about Naruto?"

"Um…right. Hokage-sama has requested that you fill out these formed and send them back to him as quickly as possible."

Sasuke watched Sakura take the papers and look through them, her expression becoming more and more depressed as she turned each page. And then she got to the last one. "Wait a minute. Naruto!"

In a second, Sakura was on her feet, walking out the door in the direction of Naruto's office. The nurse that had walked in was staring in confusion as Sasuke smirked at his ex-teammate's fleeting form, knowing very well that the Rokudaime had just landed Sakura a pile of papers that he was supposed to fill out.

With a small huff of amusement, Sasuke exited the konoichi's office and headed back to the front desk to pick up his daughter and head home for the day.

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"Uzumaki Naruto!" Sakura screamed, as she stormed through the Hokage Tower and threw open the door to the Hokage's office.

The blonde looked up from a pile of papers on his desk and stared at his old teammate in fear and surprise. "I didn't do it!" he called, putting his hands up in a giving up gesture.

"Yes, you did," Sakura said, in a quieter voice, but a harsh one nonetheless. She tossed the papers down in front of him and crossed her arms. "A nurse came into my office today, telling me that you told her that I needed to fill these out."

Naruto had picked up the papers by this time and began rummaging through them, his face dropping much like Sakura's had earlier as he looked at each one. After looking through the last one, he set them down and leaned back in his chair. "Please, Sakura-chan. Can't you help me just this once?"

"Once?" Sakura asked, an eyebrow rising to give him a hard stare.

He let out a small sigh and ran a hand through his unruly blonde hair. "Okay, so maybe you've helped me before, but remember how much you helped Tsunade-baa-chan?"

Sakura relaxed her arms and tilted her head down a bit in a slightly irritated sigh. "Well that's because she was my teacher, Naruto."

"Well, I'm your old teammate!" he argued.

"That's different!" the konoichi retorted, not unkindly.

"Well…no it's not!" the blonde yelled, in a sad attempt to prove the pink-haired jounin in front of him wrong.

Slowly, Sakura took a deep breath, uncrossing her arms, and let it out, trying to calm her nerves. "Anyways, I can't and not because I don't want to." Naruto immediately leaned back in his chair, the whole yelling match forgotten. "I promised Sasuke I'd watch Keda for him while he was gone."

"Gone?" Naruto asked. "Where's he going to?"

Sakura felt her arms unconsciously cross once more as she leaned most of her weight on her left leg. "He said you sent him on a mission."

Naruto leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes for a moment before they returned to normal, his face thoughtful and understanding. "Oh yeah, I suppose I did. He told me he was going to have to find someone to watch over his daughter while he was away; I just didn't expect it to be you. Though I can see his reasoning."

The konoichi stared at him for a moment before a sigh escaped her lips. "Anyways, I was about to head over there. I wanted to see if there was anything he wanted to tell me before he left."

"Sounds like a good plan," Naruto nodded. "You better get going then, it's starting to get late."

She followed the blonde's gaze out the window and noticed how low the sun was getting before she gave a light nod. "Guess I'll see you later. Good night, Naruto."

"Night, Sakura-chan," he answered, as the konoichi headed for the door, fully aware that she had left the stack of papers on his desk and it was only once Sakura had reached the front doors of the Hokage Tower did she hear Naruto's voice ring distressingly through the night. "Sakura-chan!!"

A smirk came to her face as she left the tower as Chunin on duty jump to life around her at the sound of the hokage's scream. Sakura then turned down the road, heading in the direction of the Uchiha estates to drop by Sasuke's house for a small talk.

It had only felt like a few minutes had passed by the time Sakura reached Sasuke's house. A smirk came to her face as she noticed how large it was and couldn't help but wonder if he had chosen the biggest house in the estate or used his old one. Either way, his house was still far too huge for two people to live in.

Carefully, Sakura walked up the front steps of the mansion and knocked lightly on the door. It was only seconds later she heard small feet quickly approach the door and the door opened to reveal Keda.

"Aneue!" the little girl called after she recognized her.

Immediately she jumped into Sakura's arms and the konoichi bent down just in time to catch her and lift her off the ground. "I told you I would see you soon," Sakura smiled, giving the little girl a kiss on the forehead, before she stepped inside the house, and closed the door with her foot.

Carefully, Sakura placed Keda back down on the ground and took off her shoes before she followed the black-haired girl further into the house. "Come on, aneue. Tousan is in the kitchen. Let's try and sneak up on him like real ninja!"

Sakura smiled at Keda and nodded before she took all of her weight onto her haunches and started to walk lightly in the direction the girl was taking her.

All the while, Sakura looked around the house, seeing everything was the way it used to be. The walls were white, the floors an oak wood, the railings on the staircase matching, and family pictures—some old, some new—hanging in random places, but still neatly.

Silently they made their way into the kitchen, but found it empty. A small frown formed on the little Uchiha's face, but a moment later is faded and a smile replaced it. "Let's try the living room," she whispered.

Sakura nodded back before the two females made their way into a different room. At once, Sakura noticed Sasuke was lying on the couch sleeping and she smirked lightly when she realized it was a shadow clone.

As soon as Keda was about to jump onto her father, he came out of nowhere and grabbed her from behind, making the shadow clone vanish and Keda gave a high-pitched squeal. Sasuke carefully set her down on her back on the couch before he began tickling her.

"Stop it!" she cried, as she laughed. "Please, stop it, Tousan!"

Sakura let a smile form on her face when she saw the light smile dance on the older Uchiha's lips. He looked like he was even trying to hold back the smile that was generated from his daughter's laughter. It was a sight Sakura doubted many people could see, so she drunk in the moment, from a distance.

It had surprised all of the Rookie Nine and Gai's Team when they had learned Sasuke was to be a father, some even uneasy about it, but now that she thought it over, Sasuke was a good parent. She never would've expected it from him, but now that he didn't have to worry about the Akatsuki and Orochimaru, he was able to relax more.

After a few more moments, Sasuke stopped his assault on his daughter and picked her up under the arms so he could kiss her forehead. "I love you, Keda," he whispered to her.

"I love you too, Tousan," she smiled, her breath still slightly heavy from the tickle fight.

Something in the way that Sasuke said it though, made Sakura wonder if there was something more behind his words that his daughter couldn't understand quite yet. There was a secret meaning behind his words and it made Sakura curious as to what he was hiding and thinking of when he told her those simple words.

Carefully, Sasuke set his daughter down on the couch and he sat next to her. "Keda, I want to tell you something."

"What is it?" she asked, her eyes shining with all the innocents she held.

"I have to go on a mission. I won't be around for a few days, but Sakura, over there, will be here to watch over you, okay?" he said slowly, his left arm wrapped around her.

"Sakura? You mean aneue?" Keda asked.

Sasuke nodded lightly as Sakura came around the side of the couch and sat on the other side of the little girl. She turned and looked up at the medic with big, black eyes. "Really? You're going to watch over me?"

Sakura nodded and smiled at the girl. "Yes. We'll be best friends."

"Yay!" Keda cried, as she jumped onto Sakura's lap and hugged her around the neck.

The konoichi laughed lightly and hugged the girl back before letting her go so she could get ready for bed. She watched the little girl skip to the stairs until Sakura's eyes could no longer see the little Uchiha.

"She's beautiful," Sakura whispered, her eyes still in the spot she last saw Keda.

"I know," Sasuke replied modestly.

Slowly his eyes turned to her and Sakura felt her heart skip a beat when she realized where the black-haired girl got her looks from. She had her father's eyes and hair and same facial shape and she realized it was probably a good thing that Keda looked nothing like her mother because when she grew up, she wouldn't ask as many questions about her.

"So, you're here to learn everything about Keda, right?" Sasuke asked.

A sigh escaped the konoichi's lips and she nodded, "Right."

"Well, there's not much to learn except that she needs to be up before ten on weekends and she needs to train at noon. After she trains, she takes a bath and after that, she does what she wants," Sasuke explained.

"What about the academy?" the pink-haired konoichi asked.

"That starts at nine; Monday through Friday."

"And how long does she train for?"

"About three hours," he said, standing up.

Sakura also stood and followed Sasuke as he led her into the kitchen. "Hm…and she can keep going for that long?"

"She's an Uchiha," the blank-haired ANBU captain said. "Of course, she can."

A small laugh came out of Sakura's mouth, making the Uchiha stop and turn to look at her, an eye brow raised in question. She gave a small huff and shook her head lightly. "But she's not a full Uchiha."

A small silence came between them before Sasuke spoke: "Yes, she is, and that's all she'll ever know."

It took Sakura a moment to realize that he was talking about Keda not knowing her mother and how he planned to keep it that way. She figured it was probably best she didn't know her mother, Sakura didn't even know her mother, but from what she had heard Sasuke tell Naruto, she had backed out as being Keda's mother and Sasuke's wife. Apparently, she didn't even love the little girl.

A frown formed on the konoichi's lips at that. Who couldn't love Keda? She was the most adorable child in the world; Sasuke was lucky to have her and Sakura wished that the little girl were her own child

"Well then, I think I should be going. What time are you leaving?" Sakura asked, changing the topic, knowing she was walking on a thin line.

"An hour before dawn," he answered.

"Alright. I'll be here a bit before you leave," she said, as she turned out of the kitchen and walked toward the front door.

"Aneue, are you leaving already?" a voice asked from the bottom of the stairs.

Both Sakura and Sasuke—who had followed her out of the kitchen—turned to see Keda was watching the two of them. Her eyes were wide with sadness and you could see the beginning of tears form on the rim of her ebony eyes.

"Don't go!" she cried, as she ran toward Sakura, the tears finally falling.

The konoichi bent down to be at her level and hugged her as she came into reach. "Don't cry, Keda-chan. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Really?" the little girl asked, as her face turned upwards.

"Really," she smiled. Then she let go of her and stood up straight. "I should get going now before it gets too dark."

Sasuke and Sakura made eye contact and the two nodded at each other before Sakura placed her shoes back on and opened the front door. "I'll see you later."

Then she was out the door.

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**(A/N: So what did you think? I liked the middle when she was talking to Naruto. But I have to say Sakura talking to Sasuke in her office was the most fun to write.**

**Anyways, I've decided to start updating once a week on Fridays. I don't have a specific time, but it will be on fridays when I have time to get the chapter up. **

**So I'll see you all next week! Thanks for all the reviews last time too!!**


	3. Blood and Tears

**(A/N: So I had some good reviews for the last chapter and I'm hoping that those will continue because those are the only things keeping me going on my writing!!)  
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**Chapter 002**

**Blood and Tears**

A cold wind nipped at Sakura's skin the moment she stepped out of her house and started toward the Uchiha Estate. Her hair was a bit messy, but she hardly took any notice of it as she raked a hand through her pink tresses. Her emerald eyes turned toward the sky and a small frown ghosted over her lips when she saw the sun wasn't even going to touch the horizon for a few more hours. Great…

Slowly, the pink-haired konoichi walked up the steps to the Uchiha house and knocked quiet enough for Keda to not wake but loud enough for Sasuke to hear. It was only a second later that she heard muffled footsteps and the door opened to reveal Uchiha Sasuke dressed in all of his ANBU uniform, say for his mask.

Almost immediately, he stepped aside and let her in. Sakura discarded her shoes quickly and after a moment, she felt her coat being pulled gently from her body. Glancing back, she realized the oldest Uchiha was trying to help her. Sakura turned her face away from him and smiled slightly, stepping out of her jacket.

Sakura watched as Sasuke took it over to a door and placed it inside. Once he had finished, he started to walk up the stairs, silently telling Sakura to follow him, which she did, only to find herself enter a massive bedroom-well at least to her it was massive.

The walls were a darkish gray while the wooden flooring was an oak color—like her room. Dark, silk sheets covered the made bed, but it was still a mess, due to the fact Sasuke had his pack on the bed with clothes he had decided against bringing around it.

A smirk worked its way onto her face as she saw the mess, noting the Uchiha had disappeared into his walk in closet on the left side of the small hall that led to the bathroom. Sakura approached the mess and sat down on his bed, one leg over the side, almost touching the ground while the other was bent at the knee. She then grabbed his bag and shook her head when she saw his clothes were shoved into the bag, carelessly placed.

Sakura huffed a little at his little chaotic mess and dumped everything out before she began piling everything up again neatly. "Honestly, didn't you ever learn how to pack?" she asked, with a bit of teasing laced into her voice.

Sasuke stepped out of his closet and looked at her, his pose very familiar to her: leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and a small smirk curving his lips. "I never cared to learn."

Sakura laughed a little as she looked back down at the clothes, her work continuing, but when she came across another article of clothing, a large smirk worked its way onto her lips. "What I would've done if I were a genin," she giggled, holding up his navy blue boxers.

"Hn," Sasuke rolled his eyes, before he vanished back inside his closet. He returned a moment later with a small pile of clothes, which he placed on the bed next to the konoichi.

Carefully, Sakura picked them up one-by-one and packed them, before she zipped the bag up and sighed, "Don't be gone too long; Keda will miss you the moment you leave."

A small sigh also escaped Sasuke's lips and he looked at her with a blank expression: "I know." Then he left the room, leaving Sakura alone in it.

Silently, she got off the Uchiha's bed and followed him out into the hall, but instead of seeing him head downstairs, he opened another door cautiously and entered it. Sakura stood dumbfound for a moment, but the sound of light breathing reached her ears and she realized it was Keda's bedroom.

A few minutes passed by before Sasuke exited the room, closing it almost as if he was a young child trying to sneak out of the house; he then started towards the stairs, Sakura in tow.

She stood watching him as he slipped on his shoes and grabbed his ANBU mask and when she saw he was ready, she walked passed him and opened the door. Though, the Uchiha stopped in front of her and held out his hand. "Here's the spare key."

Sakura nodded and took it from him, in turn handing him his pack. Her head unconsciously rested against the door as she watched him walk out of his home, but after he took a few steps, he stopped and looked back at his ex-teammate. "Take care of her."

A small drifted onto her face and she gave him a slight nod: "Of course."

Then he was gone; a swirl of leaves being the only evidence of his presence existing moments before. Slowly, Sakura closed the door, blocking out the cool morning air that was attacking the warm house.

* * *

"Aneue!" Keda cried, her light footsteps pounding quietly on the grass as she raced up to her babysitter.

Though the way she cried made Sakura's head snap up from her reading of medical books. Her emerald eyes caught sight of Keda's eyes filling with tears, some streaming down her face, and her left hand gripping her right wrist, blood leaking out from a wound on the palm of her hand. The red liquid was leaving a trail of where the little girl had been earlier and some hit her blue shirt, staining it.

Immediately, Sakura was on her feet, her medical persona in gear, and her feet were taking her towards Keda in long, hurried strides. She took the young child up into her arms and raced inside the house.

Blood and water dripped onto her shirt, but she ignored it, the shirt on her body not being a favorite one. The pink-haired konoichi rushed upstairs, Keda's cries echoing lightly around the house, and walked into Sasuke's bedroom, knowing he probably kept medical supplies in there just in case.

Carefully, Sakura placed the young Uchiha down on the counter and grabbed one of the, thankfully, dark washcloths off the rack overhead and dampened it. The little girl continued the cry, but Sakura noticed how she was trying to force the sobs down. The medic placed the cloth on the wound before she knelt down and began searching through the cabinets under the sink.

It was a few moments before she found any bandages and when she stood up straight again and removed the bloody cloth, she pressed her hand to the smaller one and emitted green, healing chakra into the wound. Keda's sobs quieted greatly and the pink-haired konoichi waited a few more seconds before she let the chakra flow stop.

"Wow," Keda suddenly whispered, in amazement. "You can do that?"

Sakura didn't look up from her work, her medic side still overpowering her regular self, and she began to slowly wrap the much smaller wound in gauze. "I do it everyday."

"Is that why you work at the hospital?" she asked, all pain in her hand forgotten due to awe and Sakura's numbing chakra.

"Hai," she answered, before she tied a small bow on the top of the girl's hand, finishing her wrapping job. Carefully, Sakura took hold of the bloody washcloth and began rinsing it out.

Keda watched her to whole time, but it didn't bother her; she was use to Tsunade always breathing down her neck. "Are you mad at me for getting hurt?" she asked unexpectantly.

That caused Sakura to stop in slight shock. "No, why would I be mad?"

"I heard Tousan tell Uncle Naruto stories of how when he was my age, his tousan would get mad at him for getting hurt," Keda answered in a quiet voice, her eyes downcast.

Seeing the girl's expression, Sakura smiled at her, "But it doesn't matter, because you're not hurt anymore."

The Uchiha looked up at her with her father's eyes and smiled back: "Hai, because you'll always be here to heal me!"

Sakura sighed a little and went back to her cleaning, a smile still on her face. "Well I don't know if I'll always be, but I'll try."

The konoichi then rinsed out extra water from the cloth and placed it on the edge of the bathtub before she picked up Keda by under the arms and placed her back down on the ground.

Together the two exited the room and headed back downstairs. "Oi, Aneue?"

"Hm?" Sakura asked, looking down at the black-haired girl at her side.

"Will you help me train? I want to become as strong as Tousan!"

"You want to become as strong as Tousan?" Sakura exclaimed, in over-exaggeration.

"Hai!"

An idea popped into the konoichi's head and she knelt down to be at the girl's eye level. "Then go get your ninja gear. I think I can teach you a few things that will make you as strong as your Tousan."

"Really?" Keda asked.

Sakura just nodded and in a second, she was gone to grab her ninja gear. In the meantime though, the pink-haired konoichi began cleaning up some of the blood that had hit the wooden floors.

It didn't take long and by the time she was done, Keda had her gear and was ready to go. Sakura quickly herded her out of the house and locked up before they left.

The afternoon sun hit down on them and Sakura took in the feeling of warmth on her skin immediately. It felt nice to have it not raining like it normally does in the month of April. Though, Keda seemed distracted from it, as she kept glancing up at the pink-haired konoichi in excitement. "So what are you going to teach me?"

"You'll see when we get there," Sakura smiled down at her.

"Get where?" a voice asked, catching the two female's attention.

Emerald eyes turned forward and a smile formed on her lips when she saw the Rokudaime with his four-month pregnant wife, Hinata.

Naruto was in a blue jounin vest—that only the Hokage could wear—with his white hokage cloak over top, the red fire kanji apparent on his left arm along with the red flames licking the hem. Hinata was just dressed in her black shinobi slacks and a black t-shirt under her off-white furred-vest.

The two were walking hand-in-hand, making a jolt of jealousy shoot up Sakura's spine at their happiness. She quickly pushed down the feeling though and gave them one of her ever-bright smiles. If they were happy, then she was too.

"Hey Naruto, Hinata. We were just going to go train," Sakura answered, when they came closer.

"Really?" Naruto asked, his eyes fixed on her shoulder. "Then why do you already have blood on your shirt?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed in question and when she looked at her shoulder, her eyes saw a stain of blood. Immediately she remembered Keda had cut her hand and some blood had dripped onto her. "Just an earlier accident," she told him.

"I hope it wasn't anything too serious," Hinata said, worry entering her voice.

Naruto smiled at her before his eyes turned down to the little girl next to her. "And how are you, Keda-chan?"

"I'm great, Uncle Naruto!" she smiled brightly. "Aneue was about to teach me some moves!"

"Really? What moves?" Naruto asked, kneeling down to be at her level.

The smile faltered on her face and she glanced up at Sakura for a moment. "I-I'm not sure. Aneue said she'd show me when we got there."

Naruto looked up at his ex-teammate and raised an eyebrow at her, but the konoichi said nothing. After a moment of silence, Naruto stood up straight. "Just don't do anything to upset, teme."

"Naruto!" Hinata exclaimed, taking in his curse word. "Watch your language around Keda-chan!"

The hokage looked at his wife and gave her a guilt look. "Sorry."

Sakura only shook her head at him and sighed before giving the married couple a smile. "Well, we're going to go. I'll see you guys around!"

Naruto nodded and hugged the konoichi, whispering in her ear: "If you need help with Keda, you can always ask us." Then he pulled back, a bright smile on his face. Sakura just returned his comment with a nod and gave him a smile of her own before she grabbed Keda's hand and led her to the closet training ground.

Upon arriving, Sakura felt relief flood her when she saw they were the only two there. She turned on Keda and knelt down to be at her level. "What I'm about to do, you can't tell anyone, not even Tousan, okay?"

Keda nodded.

"Now stand here so you don't get hurt," Sakura said, making the little girl nod again before the pink-haired konoichi stepped back, lacing chakra into her hand before she punched a nearby tree and kicked the ground, making it shatter.

Dust and dirt bits flew into the air, making it slightly harder to see and only after everything had settled did she approach the black-haired girl, excitement written all over her face. "You're going to teach me that?" she asked.

"Yes, now come on. We'll start on a tree first," Sakura told her, walking over to an oak not far off, Keda following closely.

* * *

"How was your day?" Sakura asked Keda, as she picked the girl up from the academy. Children were pouring out of classrooms, parents greeting them. Sakura felt eyes on her, but she ignored the look some of the parents were giving her as she knelt down to be at the young Uchiha's level.

"Aneue," Keda said quietly, "when is tousan going to get home?"

"Huh?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side. "What's wrong?"

"Everyone is getting picked up by their kaa-san and tousan, but tousan is gone and I don't have a kaa-san," she cried, tears sliding down her face. She buried her face in her hands and out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw parents starting to stare at her.

Carefully, the pink-haired konoichi picked up the Uchiha and rested her on her hip. "Your tousan will be home soon, don't cry."

"I want tousan!" Keda continued to cry.

Getting nervous from the looks she was receiving, Sakura turned and walked out of the academy. She noted Sasuke would be gone for another two or three days and she began searching her mind for anything to say. "You're having fun with me though, right?"

"H-hai," Keda stuttered, her cries slowly down a bit.

"I'm your best friend, right?" Sakura asked.

The little girl wiped her tears away and nodded. "H-hai."

A smile was placed on Sakura's lips as she headed in the direction of Ichiraku's, deciding to give Keda a treat. "You know I'll always be here for you if your tousan isn't, right?"

"H-hai," she stuttered.

"Then don't cry. I'm here and I love you."

"I love you too, aneue," Keda said, her voice stronger than the last time.

"Sakura-chan! Keda-chan!" a familiar voice called, once the two females entered the restaurant.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura called, walking up to him, the small Uchiha still on her hip. She placed Keda between her and Naruto, hoping that her ex-teammate wouldn't say anything about her slightly red eyes.

But of course, the Rokudaime looked down at Keda and smiled at her. "Hey, what's wrong? Why were you crying?"

'_Oh no,'_ Sakura thought, as she saw Keda's forehead scrunch up.

"I miss Tousan," she answered, as fresh tears rose to her black eyes.

"Don't worry," Naruto said, resting his hand of her back gently. "He'll be home soon. You still have Sakura-chan here, don't you?"

"I want Tousan!" the girl cried, as tears spilled over and raced down her cheeks.

Sakura shot Naruto a glance before she gave a soft sigh and placed a hand to her forehead, healing chakra dancing through her skull to the origin of her headache. She wanted nothing more than for the Uchiha to stop crying and her headache to vanish. She had already spent most of the day with annoying patients; she didn't want to deal with this.

Suddenly, Ichiraku walked over, his small smile showing. "Aw, what's wrong, Keda-chan?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. He knew her?

"Sasuke's on a mission," Naruto explained simply.

"Ah, I see," he said. Then his eyes went back to the little girl. "I know just what you need." He disappeared into the kitchen area and came back a few minutes later with a bowl of ramen. "There you are," the man smiled, as he placed the meal down in front of the Uchiha.

Keda gave a few sniffs and wiped her eyes before she looked at the bowl. "Arigatou, Ichiraku-san," she said, as she picked up a pair of chopsticks and began eating.

A sigh of relief slipped through Sakura's mouth as she rejoiced at the silence coming from the child. She was beginning to think of ideas on how to stop Keda from crying, but so far, she had just drawn a blank, a very large one at that.

It was then that Sakura realized something was missing from Naruto's side and unconsciously she popped the question out: "Where's Hinata?"

Looking up from his own bowl of ramen, he frowned a little. "Gaara had requested a close friend of Temari's to go down to Suna for a while. I don't know why; he wouldn't tell me."

"Is that okay for Hinata to travel that far when she's four months pregnant? You could've sent me," Sakura said, knowing she was one of the blonde's best friends.

"Hinata should be fine. Kakashi went with her. He said he'd carry her there," Naruto said with a slight grin that made Sakura unsure if he was kidding or not. "And I didn't said you because…" Naruto trailed off, giving Sakura a steady look for a moment before his eyes dropped down to something else. She followed his gaze and immediately realized he didn't send her because she was busy with Sasuke's daughter.

A frown appeared on her face for a moment, before her eyes rose back up to the hokage's face. "I suppose you're right. It would've been too much work."

Minutes began to pass by as both Naruto and Keda ate, Sakura shaking her head 'no thanks' when Ichiraku asked for her order and curiosity began to eat away at the konoichi. She wondered what type of mission was so important that Naruto could only send Sasuke's team, but she kept her mouth shut, knowing that it was probably classified information.

"Sakura," Naruto's voice cut into her mind.

Slowly, she turned her head and looked at him. "Hm?"

"Are you alright? You were spacing there," he told her, his eyes narrowed in concern and curiosity. "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing of importance," she smiled, her eyes turning down to Keda to see she was done eating. "Are you ready to go home?"

She looked back up at the pink-haired konoichi with shining black eyes and nodded. "Hai."

"Alright," Sakura said, picking Keda up and placing her on the ground before she turned and looked at Ichiraku as she pulled out enough cash to cover the child's meal.

He looked at it for a moment and shook his head. "On the house."

A look of surprise crossed her face before a small smile graced her lips. "Arigato."

He nodded at her and took up the bowl and chopsticks Keda had used before he disappeared behind the counter into the kitchen to wash the dish. She turned to Naruto and smiled at him, "I'll see you around."

Naruto nodded back and looked at Sakura's side to the young Uchiha. "Bye, Keda-chan," he said, opening his arms to gesture her into giving him a hug.

Slowly, she approached him and hugged him back, not expecting him to lift her up off the ground in a big bear hug. A smile still fitted her mouth as her feet touched the ground and she joined Sakura, speaking over her should: "Bye, Uncle Naruto!"

Then the two girls walked off together in the direction of the Training Grounds.

* * *

As the week passed, Keda and Sakura had slowly worked out a schedule: the konoichi would take Keda to the academy, and then she'd go to work; she pick her up and then they'd go train. After that, they'd shower, eat, do something else, and then go to bed. This would repeat over and over again, but neither got terribly bored of it.

The only problem was that every once and a while Keda would want Sasuke, only to remember that he wasn't around to be with her. She'd break into tears for a while and then slowly settle down. And when Sakura said slowly, she meant _very_ slowly.

Today though, Keda hadn't talked much about her father, seeing as all of her attention was focused on training, except now as Sakura bandaged up her hand. A few broken bones had been the result of a badly directed chakra stream to her hand, but Sakura had to admit the girl was getting better.

She could punch a tree and leave a gapping wound and her craters were large, but nothing compared to Sakura's. She didn't doubt that if she kept it up—when she got to be the pink-haired konoichi's age—she would be better than her.

"When will I become as strong as you, aneue?" Keda asked; her eyes were fixed on her hand.

Sakura had healed the broken bones and looked over the scratches and was now bandaging the Uchiha's hand as she spoke: "Very soon; but only if you keep practicing."

"Really?" Keda asked.

"Really," Sakura smiled, as she finished her work and the front door opened. Immediately she caught the signature of Sasuke and a smile danced on her lips when Keda hopped off the counter and raced out of the room. "Tousan!" her cry echoed throughout the house.

Slowly, Sakura stood up from her knelling position and began cleaning up the small mess she had made. Afterwards, she stepped out of the room, following Keda—but much slower—and came to a halt when she saw Sasuke hugging his daughter. A smile formed on her lips and when the two pulled back, Sasuke kissed Keda's forehead. Then he saw her hand. "What happened?"

"Aneue and I were training and I hurt my hand," she told him, holding out her bandaged hand to him. "But aneue healed it for me!"

"Did she now?" the Uchiha asked, as he stood up, taking his daughter into his arms. He positioned her to rest on his hip as he kicked off his shoes.

"She'll be fine so long as she doesn't hurt it again," Sakura informed him, as she walked down the stairs.

Sasuke gave her a slight nod before he walked over to her, his face taking on a serious expression. "I suppose I owe you."

The pink-haired konoichi gave him a shrug. "It's fine." Slowly her smile faded when she saw the start of dark circles form under his eyes. "You should get some sleep."

Sakura saw he was about to protest, but the Uchiha was interrupted when a small yawn escaped his mouth. After his little attack was over, he looked at Keda, "Why don't you go do your schoolwork while I take a small nap?"

"I want to be with you, Tousan," she pouted.

"Keda," Sasuke said, in a warning tone.

"Please?" the little girl whined, her eyes getting big and soft.

Sasuke gave her a look, but Sakura interjected before the older Uchiha could say anything. "Oh, just let her take a nap with you; she needs some sleep anyways." He turned his gaze away from his daughter and looked at Sakura, question shadowing his eyes. "She's been missing you," she explained.

He stared at her a moment longer before he nodded. "Fine. Go get your pajamas on, Keda-chan," he said, placing the little girl on the ground.

"Hai!" she exclaimed, before she raced upstairs.

Once she was gone, Sasuke turned to his ex-teammate, "Now, what's going on?"

A small sigh escaped Sakura lips before she answered: "Keda hasn't been sleeping well lately. She keeps wanting you; I don't think it's good if you're gone for that long again."

"That's not my choice," Sasuke answered.

Sakura started at him evenly as she replied: "I know."

* * *

When Sasuke woke from his nap, the first thing he noticed was a body sleeping in his arms. From the size he knew it was Keda even before he opened his eyes. Though, when they opened they were first greeted with the dying afternoon sun. Slowly, he turned his head away from the light and looked over on the stand next to the bed and saw red digital numbers read 3:16pm.

A soft sigh escaped his lips and his eyes turned back to the sleeping child in his arms. She was resting peacefully, a content expression on her face, with her arms out before her, her balled hands touching her forehead in a position most children slept in. It sent a small smile to his face at seeing Keda so calm and relaxed, which was completely unlike his own self at her age; he was always trying to impress his father and brother, making himself always alert and focused.

Carefully, Sasuke removed himself from the bed, trying not to wake the unconscious girl. He exited his room, closing the door behind him, and set off down the stairs slowly, curious as to where Sakura had gone off to. As he reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the living room, he saw pink hair clash against the black exterior of his couch.

Walking around the edge of it, he saw Sakura asleep, but she didn't look anywhere as peaceful as Keda when she was sleeping. His sharp eyes noted that—even from behind her closed eyelids—he saw how worn out she looked. Her skin was pale—paler than normal—and her hair wasn't as kept as it usually was, though that could've just been from the nap she was taking.

But even in her current state, he had to admit that she was gorgeous. It wasn't that the Uchiha liked her more than a friend, she was just a candy-eye and he couldn't help but notice it. Though, he would only ever admit that to himself.

Sasuke slowly lowered his hand, about to shake her awake, but he stopped himself and instead reached over the back of the couch to grab a blanket. He covered her with it and smirked when Sakura's hands immediately gripped the cloth and pulled it closer to her body, rejoicing in the warmth it brought her.

His trademark smirk stayed posted on his lips and he shook his head lightly before he headed back upstairs to take a shower.

When Sasuke finished and had gotten dressed, he headed back downstairs and saw Sakura was in the same position as when he had left her. His ebony eyes shifted over to the grandfather clock in the corner of the room and saw it was a little past four. He should probably wake her.

Carefully, Sasuke sat on the edge of the couch and shook the konoichi's shoulder. "Sakura, Sakura, you should probably get up."

A small groan escaped her lips and she stretched out her back a little—much like a cat's—before she opened her dark emerald eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's a little past four," he answered, as her eyes closed again and she rubbed them.

"Already?" Sakura asked, sitting up.

He gave her a slight nod and stood up before he made his way into a corner of the room where he kept all of his work and other papers on a desk. He opened one of the top drawers and pulled out enough money, and then some, to cover all the time she had spent with Keda.

Sasuke then turned and headed back to the konoichi who was sitting up and still rubbing her eyes. "Here," he said, holding the yin out to her.

"Huh?" she asked, still only half awake.

"This is for watching Keda for me," Sasuke answered, his hand still holding out the cash for her.

"Oh, you're welcome," she smiled, taking the money from him. Sakura stood up and stretched backwards, her shirt lifting up a bit to reveal her flat stomach.

Sasuke stared for a moment before looking away and he only turned back to her when she sighed. "Well I should get going. I have to work in the morning. Tsunade's making me work a double shift."

"Hn," Sasuke nodded at her as he led her over to the front door. She slipped on her shoes and walked out as he opened the door. "Thanks for watching Keda for me," he said, as she started walking away.

At the sound of his voice, she turned around and smiled her ever-bright smile. "Anytime," she said, her eyes shining. Then she stepped off the porch and retreated out of the Uchiha compound, Sasuke watching her the whole way.

Something told him it wouldn't be the last time he asked for help with his daughter.

* * *

**(A/N: Aw...some SasuSaku moments...kind of...haha. Anyways, now that Sakura and Keda have had some bonding moments...let's see what will happen next week!  
**


	4. I Forgot

**(A/N: So thank everyone for the reviews last week! They're very helpful on keeping me going and writing the story!! I hope you like this week's chapter too!)**

**Oh and I keep forgetting to say this:**

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!**_

* * *

**Chapter 003**

**I Forgot**

Sakura opened one of the many files behind her desk and began shuffling through it, her emerald eyes searching for anything about poison treatment. She had a patient that was infected with a poison that would only spread if you moved and, at the moment, she was trying to find the antidote. A few years ago, she had heard of the poison and written the antidote down somewhere; the only question was where?

Suddenly, a knock at the door sounded, jolting the medic out of her search, but she continued to look while she spoke: "Come in."

The quiet noise of the door opening reached her ears and when the person didn't speak, she did: "Yes? Did you need something?"

The sound of something landing on her desk caught her attention, but the voice that spoke did even more: "I brought you lunch, aneue!"

Immediately Sakura spun her chair around to see Keda had placed a bento on top of all her papers and files. Her face was smiling up at Sakura and her black eyes were shining. The konoichi noted Sasuke was leaning against the doorframe and his arms crossed; his trademark smirk was ever present.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, in pleasant surprise.

"I brought you lunch!" Keda repeated; her face was still lit in happiness.

Surprise was still in the medic's system at seeing the two; it had been two weeks since she had watched over the young Uchiha. She had expected to see them soon, but not this soon. "Oh, well thank you, Keda-chan!" she said, gesturing the little girl to come closer. Once she was in range, Sakura hugged the Uchiha, picking her up off the ground while being carefully as to not spill any of the pages out of the folder she was holding. "I suppose I need to thank your tousan too?"

"Once Keda was on her feet, she nodded: "He helped…a little."

"Did he now?" Sakura asked, her eyes going to him. "Was there something you wanted?"

Sasuke looked at her, his face expressionless, but he had an eyebrow raised. "Do I need a reason to be nice?"

"Because it's you, yes," she smirked at him.

His head fell a little in a gesture Sakura couldn't find the word for at the moment. He opened his mouth to speak again, but his daughter beat him to it: "Will you go training with us tomorrow, aneue?"

The pink-haired konoichi glanced down at the little girl in surprise and stared speechless for a moment. "Well I…I don't really know if-."

"It's all right if you can't," Sasuke interrupted.

She side glanced at him to see the same blank expression was on his face, but when she turned to Keda, hope was shining in her eyes. "Well all right. I suppose I could go after work tomorrow," Sakura said, falling for the girl's puppy dog eyes.

"Yay!" Keda cried, jumping on top of the medic.

Their laughter intertwined for a moment before Tsunade's scream overlapped it: "Sakura, I need that file!"

Sakura cringed before a long sigh escaped her lips. She placed Keda on the ground and she gathered up the poison file she had been looking at earlier. "Sorry I can't stay and chat; duty calls, you know," the konoichi smiled at Sasuke once she had all the papers.

"Yeah," he nodded.

Silence fell over them for a moment until a voice interrupted: "Sakura!" the ex-Hokage's voice screeched.

An annoyed expression fell over Sakura's face, "I'm coming!"

"Well Keda and I should probably get going. We'll see you at Training Ground Three," the Uchiha said, as Keda walked over to him and grabbed his hand.

Sakura nodded at him. "'Kay. I'll see you then."

"Sakura!"

The medic glared at air passed Sasuke's head for a moment before she walked out of her office, screeching: "I said I was coming!"

* * *

The next day had passed slowly for the pink-haired konoichi even with all of her running around she did with her ex-sensai and hokage, Tsunade. She felt tired, but she was hoped some training would help wake her up a bit.

Upon entering the grounds, she saw Sasuke and Keda were already there; the older Uchiha was helping his daughter with her aim. Quietly, Sakura walked up to the log that was being used as a support for both Uchihas' packs and watched the two as she changed into her training boots and other gear.

"You need to add a little twist to the shuriken when you throw it," Sasuke told the little black-haired girl. "That way your opponent thinks you missed. They won't be expecting it to come from a different direction and strike them."

"Like this?" Keda asked, as she threw the weapon. It twisted and flew around a tree before it came back and hit the center of a white and red target on another tree.

"Perfect," Sasuke said.

Keda smiled up at her father and jumped into his arms. He picked her up and turned to the log. Sakura smiled and waved before she stood up to greet the small Uchiha family.

"Aneue!" Keda called when Sakura got closer. She hugged the older female around the neck, while she was still in her father's arms.

"Hey hunny," the medic smiled, giving her a small hug back. She nodded at Sasuke in greeting before she pulled back from the child's embrace.

Sasuke placed Keda on the ground before he smirked at Sakura, "Ready to spar?"

A smirk also fell onto the konoichi's lips as she pulled on her black gloves. "Only if you're ready to lose."

"I don't think so," he said, his eyes turning red, as Keda run to the log to watch. He then pulled out a few shuriken.

Immediately Sakura fell onto the defensive when her eyes spotted the weapons. She jumped backwards only to have the shuriken launched at her feet and she quickly had to push off the ground again, dodging the attack. She did a few backhand springs and when she landed, she grabbed a kunai knife at the same time as Sasuke. As one they jumped at each other.

Metal met metal as the weapons came in contact with one another and sparks flew. Sakura took the chance to send a kick his way, but his eyes caught her movement, and with his free hand, he caught her leg.

As one, they pushed away from each other and sent their weapons flying before they made contact with the ground. The weapons were fired at an odd angle and they were sent rolling in the dirt when their feet touched the solid land again.

"Go aneue!" Keda cheered from the sidelines.

A smirk came to Sakura's face at that and she ran at the older Uchiha with a chakra-laced punch. Sasuke dodged it only to be struck with a few more, causing him to jump away while throwing kunai at the konoichi. Sakura's eyes caught them and she waited until they were in range before she hit them away with the side of her open palmed fingers.

They spiraled into the dirt from the contact and when Sakura looked up again, a fumma shuriken was flying at her. Panic flooded her body, but she forced herself to relax and think quickly. Time seemed to slow as she closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she raised her fist and punched out the large weapon with a chakra-laced punch.

Metal was sent flying into the air and bits flew passed her face. One cut her across the cheek lightly, but she didn't move until the silver dust had settled.

"That's a new trick," Sasuke said,

Sakura just smirked before she launched herself at the Uchiha, her hands outstretched like a cat. The konoichi saw Sasuke's red eyes widen for a split second before her hands made contact with his shoulders and the two were sent rolling onto the ground. The air was knocked out of both their lungs from the impact, but they kept their guard up and kept trying to gain control over the other.

They wrestled and twisted together until Sakura was pinned to the ground, a kunai knife at her throat. "Looks like I've won," Sasuke smirked, breathing heavily.

Sakura held her breath and closed her eyes for a moment before her chest continued heaving. A smirk fell on her lips and she opened her eyes as she too pressed the kunai knife in her hand to his throat lightly. "Don't be so sure."

His eyebrow rose in slight surprise and he gave a small huff of amusement, "Nice trick."

"Thank you," she said, almost sincerely.

Sasuke removed his kunai knife from Sakura's neck before he pushed himself off of her and lent his hand out to her. With a smile, she took it and stood up. They brushed the dust off their pants as Keda ran up to them, her eyes shining, "That was so cool! Aneue, you're so strong! I wish I could do that!"

"Just keep training," Sakura smiled and winced lightly when she felt blood drip out of the small wound on her cheek,

"Aneue, you're hurt!"

"It's just a scratch," the konoichi said, as she ran her hand over the cut, making it disappear with healing chakra. "What about you Sasuke?" she asked, turning to the male. "Are you hurt?"

"Fine," he answered blankly.

"I don't believe you," she said, touching her hand to his shoulder.

Immediately, her chakra raced into his body. Sakura closed her eyes as she saw everything: old wounds, broken bones from years ago, scars, but she ran across a new sprain in his right wrist.

"Nice try," she said in her medic voice, as she opened her eyes. "I can see that injury of yours; now let me see your wrist."

A frown displayed itself on Sasuke's lips for a moment before it disappeared and he offered her the wrist that she had see was injured. Gently, the konoichi took it in her grasp and took her healing chakra into his arm to heal the sprain.

A few moments later, Sakura let go of him and smiled, "That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Keda stared at Sakura in admiration. "That was amazing!"

"Sounds like you have an admirer," the older Uchiha said to Sakura, as he glanced down at his daughter, before turning his now black eyes to the woman in front of him.

Sakura gave a small smile as Keda spoke: "Tousan, will you spar with me"

An uneasy look shadowed Sasuke's eyes and he answered slowly, "I don't know…"

"Oh just go, Sasuke. I'm here if anything goes terribly wrong," Sakura interrupted him, with a small roll of her eyes. Then she turned around and went back to the log to get a small drink of water.

She felt Sasuke's eyes burn into her back, but she didn't turn around as the two began 'sparring'. Sakura sat down and grabbed her water bottle as she watched the Uchihas fight. She took a drink of water and when she lowered the bottle, she spat out the liquid. Keda was using her chakra-laced punches; Sakura had completely forgotten she had taught her that.

Lucky for Sasuke though, he was dodging all of them and hadn't noticed his daughter's extra strength. That was until Sasuke was backed up against a tree and dodged a blow that left a noticeable dent in the tree. Immediately Sakura was on her feet.

The Uchiha froze, as did Keda from seeing her father's expression. His eyes were wide, staring at the spot his daughter had punched. Slowly, his head turned and looked at Sakura with the same expression still in place: "You didn't."

From the look on his face, the konoichi decided to choose her words carefully: "I might have let slip the uh…ability of how to um…enhance the strength of your punches."

"How long ago?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"A few weeks ago when I watched Keda for you," Sakura told him slowly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the Uchiha questioned, all of his attention focused on the konoichi.

Sakura sigh. How could she say this without him getting mad? Well, there really was no way to tell him without him getting mad. "I forgot."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, tousan," Keda said from her father's side. "I asked aneue to-."

"What?" the Uchiha almost yelled, turning his angry eyes to his daughter. "Why?"

Tears were starting to form in the girl's eyes and guilt hit Sakura's gut like a kunai knife. She didn't think this would happen when she taught Keda how to channel her chakra to make her punches stronger.

And then something flashed into her mind; a memory from not long ago.

Flashback:

"_Really? What moves?" Naruto asked, kneeling down to be at her level. _

_The smile faltered on her face and she glanced up at Sakura for a moment. "I-I'm not sure. Aneue said she'd show me when we got there."_

_Naruto looked up at his ex-teammate and raised an eyebrow at her, but the konoichi said nothing. After a moment of silence, Naruto stood up straight. "Just don't do anything to upset, teme."_

End flashback.

"I-I just wanted to be strong like you," Keda mumbled in between the sobs that were starting to wrack her body.

Immediately Sasuke's expression softened at his daughters reaction and he bent down to be at her level. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry with you. But you should tell me things like this. Do you forgive me?"

Keda wiped her eyes and nodded before Sasuke brought her into a hug and lightly kissed her forehead. He whispered a few words in her ear and she gave him a small nod as she wiped the rest of the wetness off her cheeks.

Sakura cringed mentally at the girl's tears, realizing she had been the origin of the mess she had just put Sasuke and his daughter through. A small sigh fell out of the konoichi's lips as he walked up to the log, his daughter in his arms. "I'm sorry, Sasuke," she once he was in close enough range to where she didn't have to yell.

"Don't worry about it," he answered blankly, as he sat down on the piece of wood and placed his daughter next to him before he began checking over his weapons.

Sakura let out a quiet sigh and sat down next to Keda, upset that she could think of nothing to say. Sasuke was never really one that liked hearing people apologies.

Quietly, Sakura began checking over her weapons. She pulled off her training boots and started to place her work shoes on, but as she did, she felt Keda lean on her. Stopping, she looked over to see that her eyes were closing in fatigue. A small smile fell on her face before she resumed her packing up.

Normally the konoichi would've smirked at Keda's actions, but she wasn't in the mood.

When Sakura and Sasuke had finished getting ready, they looked over to the child to see she was fast asleep.

"We were training for a while," Sasuke mumbled to Sakura.

Slowly, the konoichi looked up at him, but his eyes were fixed on zipping up his pack. A small frown drifted over Sakura's lips at the Uchiha's attitude, but she shook it off; he had a right to be mad at her.

Once Sasuke had finished, he stood up and placed his pack on before he reached for his daughter. A cry escaped Keda's lips when he tried to pick her up and move her away from Sakura; she was holding onto the medics t-shirt tightly. The konoichi caught sight of the frown on his face and spoke: "I'll carry her."

Sasuke looked at her for a moment before he nodded and stepped back to give her some room to pick the child up. Carefully, Sakura pulled Keda up onto her hip as she stood, the child giving a small whine as she did so.

Once Sakura was situated, she reached down to grab her pack, but the oldest Uchiha got to it before her. She looked at him in question, but he just shrugged. "You have Keda, I'll carry it."

She gave him a small nod before the two turned toward the village and the road home, leaving the darkening grounds behind them.

Upon entering the village, Sakura saw many people were still out and about in the streets. Lights were on and quite a few people were still entering and exiting restaurants. It was a little surprising, but then again it was late May and civilians were usually out later during this time of year.

As the two shinobi walked down the road, a few people stopped and stared at Sasuke and Sakura. Immediately the konoichi became self-conscious and her eyes turned to the road at her feet. An uncomfortable feeling fell over her and she unconsciously began shifting Keda's sleeping body on her hip.

Sasuke's eyes fell on her and under the intensity of it, Sakura couldn't help but look up at him. "What?"

He just continued to examine her for a moment longer before looking away. "Nothing."

Slowly, Sakura's eyes turned back to the road they had yet to walk on to get to the Uchiha Estate. She felt Sasuke's eyes land on her once more, but this time she didn't look up to meet them. Instead, her emerald gaze studied the dirt she was about to walk on, her mind fully aware the Uchiha wasn't the only one staring.

It seemed like hours later when the two shinobi and the sleeping child finally stepped through the front door of the Uchiha home. Sakura stepped into the house and discarded her shoes and Keda's, being careful as not to wake the girl, while Sasuke closed the door and placed the packs on the railing.

The konoichi waited until Sasuke had also taken off his shoes before she followed him up the stairs to Keda's room. "Here," the Uchiha whispered, as he opened the door for her.

Slowly, Sakura stepped in and approached the bed. She pulled back the covers before she placed the little girl in it. Sasuke followed her inside the room and closed the window, which was opened, before he closed the curtains. A small smile came to Sakura's face as she grabbed the covers and started to pull them over Keda.

"Kaa-san," the little girl suddenly mumbled in her sleep.

At the name, both Sakura and Sasuke stopped what they were doing and looked at the girl's face. Her face was scrunched up, almost as if she was about to cry, and her hands were gripping her pillow tightly.

The smile on Sakura's face cracked and a painful shock of loneliness rippled through her heart. She couldn't help but wish Keda was her child she was tucking her in and she at her house with her own husband; not here with another person's child, at a different home, with Sasuke—who was nothing but an ex-teammate.

The konoichi had been alone so long that all she wanted is to love someone and have someone love her. One of the main reasons she had become a medic was to help people and forget about her own pathetic life. Now, she felt like crying.

"Sakura," Sasuke's voice suddenly cut in.

Her head turned from the sleeping child to the male who had walked up to her side. "Hm?"

"Are you alright?" His eyes were staring at her contently and his expression gave off a little bit of concern.

She couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth. "Fine," Sakura lied, as her attention went back to the sleeping girl to finish covering her with the blankets.

Sakura walked out of the room, Sasuke following her after kissing his child goodnight. They descended the stairs silently and the same volume was held between them as the pink-haired konoichi placed on her shoes.

"Thanks for lunch yesterday," she said, as she grabbed her bag from the railing. She noted how Sasuke didn't say anything as she started for the door and began opening it.

Then the Uchiha moved.

The door had only opened about a centimeter when his left hand reached over her left shoulder and closed it. "What's wrong?"

Sakura didn't move. It seemed like a few minutes before she even spoke: "Nothing."

"You're lying."

Turning half way around, she smiled the most convincing smile she could come up with. "I'm fine."

His eyes scanned her face for a moment. She knew he knew she was lying, but he let it go. Slowly, he removed his hand and allowed her to open the door once more to make her exit.

Quietly, stepped out onto the porch of the Uchiha mansion and strolled hurriedly down the steps. The feeling of Sasuke's eyes watching her followed her until she turned a corner was out of his line of sight. It was only then she made sure she took the back roads so no one could see the tears silently falling down her face.

* * *

**(A/N: Aw...poor Sakura. I feel bad that I made her all sad and teary and stuff like that, but hey, I needed her to be sad at some point...And I know right now everything's kind of all about Sakura, but in later chapters you'll start to see Sasuke's side and what he's thinking/feeling/stuff.  
**

**Anyways, reviews last week were awesome and I thank you all for those. This week I'm sure will be awesome too and I'm looking forward to them!!**

**P.s. If I hear anything about the fight scene, I will ignore you because honestly, I don't care and I've never been very good at them!!)**


	5. The Dream

**(A/N: So I was trying to decided whether or not to post this chapter because I've been really reluctant on writing this story (I only have like 2 more chapters ready), but yesterday, I got into the story again and I wrote a hella of a lot.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!**

* * *

**Chapter 004**

**The Dream**

Sasuke slowly made his way out of the Hokage's Tower. His mind was blank except for the constant replay of the details of the mission Naruto had just given him. Unconsciously, his feet started taking him in a random direction, but he hardly took notice of it.

Lately, the Uchiha hadn't been spending that much time with his daughter and he didn't like it. The Rokudaime had been getting a lot of missions this past month that required ninja with a high level of skill and Sasuke was usually the only one available.

It was frustrating. He'd wake up, take Keda to the academy, get a mission, and come back in time to get his daughter to bed. This had been happening ever since he had trained with Sakura a week ago.

It was also frustrating to know that the Hokage had to rely on him all the time where Sasuke's main focus in life at that moment had to be on Keda. He told himself he wasn't he wasn't going to be like his father, but with how busy he had been recently, it was getting hard to always be there for her.

A long sigh escaped the Uchiha's lips when he finally shook himself out of his thoughts and looked up. Somehow he found himself in front of a white building and the red crossed on the front immediately told him he was standing in front of the Konoha hospital.

Curiosity overtook him when he tried to figure out why is feet would take him here and then he remembered. He needed to talk with Sakura to see if she would watch Keda for him again while he went out on a two-day mission. The thought of asking her made him cringe. Would she be mad?

With a soft sigh, Sasuke climbed the steps to the entrance of the hospital and pushed open the front doors.

White lights met his eyes and almost no sound reached his ears. It was unusually quiet in the hospital today and when he looked at the chairs in the lobby, there were only a few people there. But he didn't pay much attention to them as he walked toward the hallway that led to the hallway Sakura's office was located in. Hopefully the kunoichi wasn't giving a surgery or anything and could spare him a few minutes.

"Uchiha-san," the nurse behind the counter greeted him, as he walked by. "I didn't know you had an appointment today."

Sasuke almost frowned at her smiling face that opposed his current mood. "I don't," he responded monotonously. "I need to speak with Haruno-san for a few moments."

"Sakura?" she asked in surprise. "She's at home. Tsunade made her work a double shift. Didn't get off work until about five this morning, poor thing," the nurse frowned a little. "She has today off, but I can leave a message for her, telling her you dropped by."

The Uchiha side glanced at the wall, noticing it was about ten o'clock now. "That won't be necessary," he told her, before he walked out of the hospital and made his way to the kunoichi's house.

Slowly, his mind began to wonder as his eyes cast themselves downward and he lost all focus on where he was going.

What if Sakura can't watch Keda? Where is she going to go? Normally, if a shinobi family has a child, only one parent goes out at a time and if one dies in battle, then relatives help out. But Sasuke's wife left and all of his relatives were dead. What was he going to do?

He could always have Naruto watch her, but the Uchiha wasn't sure how much he trusted the Hokage with that—even if the Rokudaime was about to have his own child. Sakura was the only one he trusted enough with his daughter even if she did teach her a jutsu without telling him.

Slowly, Sasuke came back to reality in time for him to realize he had reached the kunoichi's house. He ascended the steps and knocked lightly, knowing she would hear him if she were up and about. But when he waited for a while and got no answer, he sighed. Where had she put her spare key again?

As if on cue, his memory kicked in and his eyes traveled upwards until they stopped on the ledge above the door. Sasuke reached up and felt around for a moment before he found the key and pulled it down. Quietly, he unlocked the door and entered, closing it just as silently.

It was quiet; almost like the hospital, but even more silent, and it was dimmer, much dimmer. He liked it.

Silently, Sasuke removed his ninja boots, placing the spare key in his back pocket, and stepped further into the house to look for any signs of the pink-haired kunoichi. He searched the downstairs and came up with nothing, but when he started up the stairs, the Uchiha caught a faint trace of chakra. Immediately he recognized it as Sakura's.

Sasuke followed the trail to a closed door and when he cracked it open, he found himself in the master bedroom. It was a rather large room—not as big as his, but it was still fairly large.

The walls were a deep blue and the floors were oak wood. On the left wall was a walk-in closet and on the opposite wall from him was a large window. He also noticed a bed was pressed up onto the right wall, covered in a white blanket.

Sasuke's eyes immediately took in a body sleeping among the sheets and he quickly realized it was Sakura. The pink hair was a dead give away. Her slow, rhythmic breathing filled the air and the Uchiha realized she must've been exhausted to not notice he was in the house.

With the stealth of a ninja, Sasuke walked over to the side of the bed and shook Sakura's shoulder lightly while whispering, "Sakura, I need to talk to you."

A light moan escaped the kunoichi's lips before her eyes opened. He almost regretted waking her; she looked so tired. But he had to talk to her now; he had to get ready for his mission that he was leaving for at dusk.

"What time is it?" Sakura asked, as she rolled over to look at the clock on her nightstand.

Sasuke followed her eyes to see that the red digital numbers read 10:17 a.m.

"Oh shit!" Sakura cussed loudly, as she bolted up right. "I'm late for work!"

The kunoichi threw the covers off her body to reveal long, thin, and beautiful legs, before she stood up. It took Sasuke a moment to realize she was just wearing a large t-shirt and panties before he brought his eyes back to her face while saying, "Tsunade-sama had you work a double shift. You have the day off."

At those words, Sakura stopped her mad rush and thought for a moment. "Oh yeah. Must have slipped my mind." Slowly, she rubbed her eyes and looked at the Uchiha in confusion. "Then what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Hm…about what?" the kunoichi asked, before she disappeared into her closest.

Sasuke took a deep breath. "As you know, I'm an ANBU captain and I'm good friends with Naruto-."

"Good friends?" Sakura spoke, from inside her closet. "You guys are more like brothers than friends."

The Uchiha gave a small huff of amusement as he walked over to the window and looked outside. It was a great view of a Konoha street below, but he hardly even registered the people walking below as he continued: "Anyways, he's been getting a lot of missions lately and-."

"And he's asked you out on another mission?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke looked to the doorway of her closet to see she was looking at him expectantly in just a pair of black slacks and a black bra. He couldn't help but stare for a minute.

Her body was absolutely gorgeous. It wouldn't surprise him if she were a goddess from the heavens herself. What it must feel like to touch that skin of her's; it looked so smooth.

At that last thought, he ripped his eyes away from her. _What was he thinking?_ It took him a moment to remember she had asked him a question and quickly he answered: "Yes."

A small huff came out of Sakura's mouth and when Sasuke slowly turned his eyes back to the closet, she had disappeared back inside. "Well then," the kunoichi said, "I suppose you're here to ask me to watch Keda again." She walked out of the closet, fully clothed in a black tank top.

Sasuke watched her for a moment, their eyes connecting, before he gave her a small nod.

Her expression was blank until a small, playful frown formed on her lips. "Alright, I'll do it."

A sigh of relief escaped his lips and he managed to give her a half-smile—sort of. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she smiled back, as she walked out of her room, leaving him to follow. "Anyways, I had a feeling you'd come back asking," Sakura stopped halfway down her stairs and looked back at him. "You're not doing this on purpose, are you?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

"Hm…" she mused, as she continued down the stairs. "Say, how did you get in? I thought I locked up." A pause followed before she glanced over her shoulder at him. "You didn't break in, did you?"

"I used a key," Sasuke responded.

"A key? I never gave you a key," Sakura said in confusion, as she walked into the kitchen and started making herself some coffee.

"You didn't; I used the spare," he explained. The Uchiha took out the key from his back pocket and slid it across the counter to make it stop next to the coffeemaker the kunoichi was currently at.

Sakura froze for a moment before she picked it up and looked at it. "I was trying to remember where I put this." She placed the key in her own pocket before she continued with her earlier activities. "So, what time are you leaving for your mission?"

"Tonight, at dusk."

"Oh good," Sakura said, turning to look at the male as she took a sip of coffee. "Looks like I won't have to reschedule my day."

He gave her a questioning look. "What are you doing?"

"Shopping with my mom."

"Your mom?" he asked, as he leaned against the counter.

"I'm actually very close to my mother; ever since my stepfather died and my father…left. But I've been busy at work and I haven't seen her recently so we decided to hang out…"

Sasuke started to tune out as the kunoichi continued to talk and she must have seen his expression because she stopped. "Sorry, I was rambling."

"Just a bit," he smirked at her. Then he looked at the clock. "I need to get ready."

Sakura nodded at him. "I'll see you tonight then."

He nodded back at her before he pushed himself off the counter and headed for the kunoichi's door, showing himself out.

All tension he held when he first entered the house was gone now that he knew Keda was going to be safe and taken care of in Sakura's hands. She was the only person he trusted to handle it because Sakura was unlike any other kunoichi; she would protect her precious people with her life—people like Keda.

* * *

"Which color do you think looks best?" Sakura's mother—Rika—asked, getting the pink-haired kunoichi's attention.

Sakura pulled her head up from her own search of clothes to see her mom was holding a white kimono to her body. "The white one or the red one?"

Sakura waited until her mom switched the outfits a few more times. "The white one. The red doesn't go well with your hair," she explained, taking in the vibrant color of red her mother's hair was, before she went back to her own search of clothes.

"So," her mother spoke, "do you have any plans tonight? Because if you don't, you could come over, and we could watch some movies. I think I still have those Soap Operas from when you were younger."

"Oo! Do you have the one when that guy breaks up with his girlfriend because he was engaged to that other girl?" Sakura asked, as she side glanced at the red-haired woman.

"I think I do," Rika replied, pulling out another kimono. She looked at it for a second before she placed it back.

"We should watch that one first and then we can-." Sakura stopped. "Oh wait. I can't. I have to watch Keda tonight."

"Keda?" she asked, walking over to the cashier to buy her article of clothing. "Who's Keda?"

"You know, Uchiha Keda, daughter of Uchiha Sasuke," the pink-haired kunoichi told her, as she strolled over to the counter.

"Uchiha Sasuke? Was he the guy you had the hots for when you were younger?"

"Yes," she mumbled, as the cashier and her mother exchanged 'have a good day'.

"Are you dating him?"

"No."

"Do you like him?"

"No."

"Are you going to date him?"

"No, I'm not going to date Uchiha Sasuke, kaa-san," Sakura said forcefully, as she rolled her eyes. "If I didn't like him, why would I date him?"

She shrugged. "And why not? He's something to look at," Rika commented, her eyes scanning the storefronts.

"You know why," Sakura said quietly. "I've seen love die too many times." She paused for a moment. "Like you and tousan."

The red-haired civilian stopped with a sigh and looked at her daughter with sad eyes. "You're still not over that, are you? It's best if you just let that go. You're causing yourself much hurt that you don't need."

Sakura looked at the ground. "I just don't want to end up like you." Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet the ones that hers were copied from. "I've seen you cry too many times in the past."

"Sakura…" her mother trailed off, as she wrapped an arm around her daughter. "I only cried those times because it hurt that he left us. But I was also happy."

The kunoichi looked up at her mother in question. How could she been happy?

"Your father's a shinobi and he could've taken you away from me if he wanted."

"But it still hurts, doesn't it?" Sakura mumbled.

"To say it didn't would be a lie," Rika nodded, as she started walking, pulling her child with her. "But time has dulled the pain. I can see it's done you some good too. What ever happened between you and Kiba?"

"Please kaa-san, that relationship ended last year and we never had that strong of a connection," Sakura said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

She and Kida had gone out last year; they thought it might have had a chance, but it didn't work—they were always arguing—and the two had decided to stay friends. It was a shaky relationship from the start and Sakura was glad they had broken it off. If they had kept going, they probably wouldn't be friends now.

A small laugh erupted out of the red-haired woman's mouth and she gave her daughter a half-hug. "Don't worry about my happiness, Sakura. Focus on your own."

Sakura looked up at her mother, her face expressionless, and they fell into a small silence.

"Well," Rika said, "let's finish shopping, shall we? I need to find a kimono for Christmas."

Sakura stopped and looked at her mom. "It's June."

"So…" her mom said, with a smile on her face.

* * *

"Aneue," a voice whispered, pulling Sakura out of her sleep. "Aneue."

A quiet groan escaped the kunoichi's lips and she turned her head to the side from her position on her stomach to see a familiar figure was staring at the kunoichi like she was scared. Keda was standing at the edge of the couch—the place where Sakura was sleeping. "Aneue, can I sleep with you?"

"Hm?" Sakura asked, propping herself up on her elbows. "What's wrong?"

"I-I had a bad dream," the Uchiha whispered, as her eyes began to swim with tears.

A small frown formed on the kunoichi's face and she moved over a little, gesturing that the young child could sleep there. Keda crawled onto the couch and curled up next to the pink-haired kunoichi; she was shaking.

Carefully, Sakura wrapped her arms around the child and whispered: "What was your dream about?"

"It was night and you and me were going home from training. A woman jumped out in front of us. I didn't know her, but it felt like I did.

"She said she wanted me, but you told her to leave. The woman laughed and then two ninja appeared next to her.

"I don't know who they were; they didn't have a headband from our village. And she told you to give her to me again. You told her to leave, but she laughed and then the two ninja attacked us." Keda was crying silently at this point and Sakura pulled the young girl closer to her body, protectively. "I don't remember anything after that."

A small frown formed on Sakura's face and she whispered, "Don't worry. It was just a dream. You're safe."

Sobs began racking the girl's body as Sakura continued to whisper comforting words to her. "P-please don't tell tousan," she mumbled.

"I won't," Sakura promised. "Now go to sleep."

The sobs that once rippled in the air slowly began to decease until they were quiet whimpers. A few minutes later, they were gone too, leaving nothing but quiet breaths from the black-haired Uchiha in the kunoichi's arms.

But even though Keda had calmed down and was now sleeping soundly, Sakura stayed awake and watched her. She couldn't blame the child for being so shaken up, but she thought it was odd that she wanted to keep it from her father. Was she not telling Sakura something?

The kunoichi shook her head slightly. She was being ridiculous.

Carefully, Sakura pulled the blankets further over their bodies and closed her eyes.

* * *

Sasuke pulled his ANBU mask off after he closed the door to the Uchiha mansion behind him. He silently discarded his shoes and untied the knot that kept his cloak on his body. Fatigue was threatening to overcome the Uchiha, but he couldn't let himself be consumed by it; he had to check on Keda and take care of Sakura first.

Quietly, Sasuke padded over to his living room to see pink hair was clashing against the black furniture. Curiosity took its hold on him when he saw Sakura wasn't the only one lying on the couch and he moved toward her, his ebony eyes caught sight Keda sleeping in her arms.

As he stepped further into the room, he noticed how the kunoichi was holding his daughter like her own, in a protective manner. They both looked so nature it was surreal.

A few seconds later, Sakura stirred and opened her eyes. "Sasuke?"

The Uchiha walked closer to the side of the couch answered: "It's me."

An attractive hum originated in Sakura's throat and she stretched a little while at the same time being careful as not to wake the sleeping child. Once the kunoichi relaxed again, she opened her eyes a crack. "What time is it?"

He glanced back at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. "It's just past four," Sasuke answered, as he stroked his daughter's hair.

"I should get going."

The Uchiha looked to see Sakura was starting to wake up a bit more and carefully he picked up his daughter without waking her. Sasuke placed Keda on his hip and her head automatically rested itself on the crook of his neck. Sakura sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to erase the sleep from her mind, before she kicked her feet over the side of her resting place.

Sasuke turned away from the kunoichi as she prepared to get dressed in a bit more clothing and he exited the room and headed upstairs to place Keda back in her own bed.

When he returned again Sakura was fully dressed and ready to go. No words were spoken between the two as the Uchiha walked over to his desk and opened a drawer to grab some yin. Sakura had already departed from the ANBU captain as she placed on her shoes and when he went to the front door, he saw the kunoichi was already to go.

"Thanks for watching Keda again," he said quietly, holding the money out to her.

Sakura looked at it in slight surprise and shook her head. "It's fine."

"Take it," Sasuke offered again, this time his voice a bit more commanding.

The kunoichi opened her mouth to protest, but closed it, knowing it was a pointless argument. She took the yin from his hands and looked through it for a moment. When Sakura looked back up at her ex-teammate, her expression was slightly shocked. "If you give me this much, I'll have the whole Uchiha fortune."

Sasuke smirked at her. "I doubt it; I own the whole Uchiha fortune."

An uneasy emotion flickered into Sakura's eyes. "I can't take all of this."

She tried to hand it back, but Sasuke wouldn't accept it. "No," he shook his head.

A small frown formed on Sakura's face. "Damn Uchiha. You're too stubborn." Sasuke just smirked. "Well fine," she sighed, pocketing the money.

Sakura turned around and opened the front door before she took a few steps out. Sasuke followed her and was about to close the door when she stopped and turned back to him. "You know, if you ever need me to watch Keda, you can just ask. I don't mind doing it; she's a great kid."

Sasuke looked at her for a moment before he gave her a slight nod of appreciation. In return, she smiled and turned her back on the house to walk toward her own home.

* * *

**(A/N: Haha, I love it when Sasuke wakes Sakura up and Sakura's mom is so awesome! I got her personality from my mom. She's so funny when she doesn't try to be. **

**So yeah, next chapter, next week! Thanks for all the reviews and stuff!!**

**(And 'YYYYAAAAAAAA!!' isn't a review...it's a spaz attack)**


	6. The Past: Part One

**(A/N: Okay, sorry everyone I was late with posting it. I haven't been sleeping lately and I went to bed at like 8 last night so yeah...  
And I got my permit so I've been driving everywhere in both my moms' cars. haha**

**PLEASE READ**  
So people have been asking me questions and I'm going to finally answer them.

**Question 1.** Does Sasuke like Sakura?  
**Answer: ** I've mention in an earlier chapter that he does _NOT_.

**Question 2.** Does Sakura like Sasuke?  
**Answer:** I haven't exactly said she doesn't like him. But she does _NOT_.

**Question 3.** What does 'aneue' mean?  
**Answer:** It means big sister in Japanese.

**So if anyone has any other questions just ask.)**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

** The Past: Part One**

When Sakura had told Sasuke he could just ask her to watch Keda, she didn't think he would come almost immediately. The kunoichi thought he would come running in about a week, but he hadn't; he showed up _three_ days later.

An annoyed expression still came to Sakura's face at the thought of the confrontation.

Flashback:

_Sakura sat curled up on her couch, a book in hand. She couldn't remember the last time she had the day off and could do nothing but sit around all day with a good book and a cup of tea, _

_She had read quickly, the book being one she had been eyeing for a few months and as she was getting to the climax, her doorbell rang. _

_Slightly annoyed, the kunoichi stood up, her eyes fixed on the text of the book still in hand. She opened the door and began speaking before she even looked up. "Can I help you-," and when her eyes drifted upwards to the face of a very familiar friend, they widened: "Sasuke?" _

"_I need a favor," the Uchiha said blankly. _

"_Like what?" Sakura asked, a bit of dread seeping into her voice. _

Then another voice spoke as a small child hugged the pink-haired medic's legs: "Aneue!"

End flashback.

That was when she added two plus two to equal babysitting. Normally, Sakura would have been mad, but it was her own fault. She had told Sasuke to 'just ask'. But she supposed it wasn't that bad. The kunoichi only had to watch the child for two days and she loved Sasuke's daughter anyways; she was an angel.

"Aneue, can we get romen?" Keda asked, pulled on the kunoichi's jounin slacks.

Sakura looked down at the child with a smile and when she opened her mouth to respond, a voice interrupted her: "Sakura, long time, no see."

She looked up to see a very familiar figure with an extremely familiar orange book with the words 'Come Come Paradise' on it in red letters. "Kakashi." She smiled, noting that even after all of these years, the jounin—and part time ANBU leader—looked like he hadn't aged one single year.

"How have you be-." He stopped when he saw Keda. "Is that yours?"

The kunoichi immediately knew that he was talking about Sasuke's daughter and she couldn't help but look away in annoyance. She knew her old sensai had already met Keda and he was just teasing her. Plus his light chuckling was giving that fact away.

"You done?" Sakura asked, turning her attention back to the older man.

Kakashi ignored her comment and knelt down to be at the Uchiha's level. "What are you doing with Sakura, Keda-chan?" he smiled.

"We were going to get some romen," the little girl said enthusiastically.

"You were?" another voice asked.

Sakura noticed Kakashi was looking behind her and when she turned around, she saw one of her ex-teammates was walking toward her: Naruto.

He was wearing a bright smile on his face and his blue eyes were shining. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't wearing his hokage outfit, which he liked to flaunt frequently. Instead normal black jounin pants—one's like the kind Sakura was wearing—and a black t-shirt donned his body. She also noticed Hinata's presence was absent from his side.

"I was just heading there. Maybe you'd like to join me?" Naruto asked, coming to a halt next to Sakura.

"Can we?" Keda pleaded, looking up at her sitter.

The kunoichi turned her face down toward Sasuke's daughter to see she was using her big, black puppy dog eyes on her. "Well…alright. But we need to hurry. Remember your tousan said you need to train at noon and it's already past that."

Keda gave a small jump of joy and grabbed Naruto's outstretched hand before the two began walking in the direction of Ichiraku's stand. Sakura stayed where she was for a moment, watching as her blonde friend picked up the little girl to place her on his shoulders.

"Sasuke's lucky," a voice suddenly mumbled from next to Sakura.

She jumped a little, forgetting that her ex-sensai was next to her. Her eyes flickered over to him before they were set back on the little girl who was playing with the Hokage's hair as she spoke enthusiastically.

"Yeah," Sakura whispered, feeling jealousy bubble up in her chest. Sasuke had a child, along with Ino and Shikamaru, and Naruto was about to, so what about her? Didn't she deserve to be happy too?

Shaking her head mentally, Sakura pushed the jealousy away and gave a small sigh. If they were happy, then she was too. At least Sakura was able to spend time with Keda while Sasuke was away.

"Aneue!" Keda's voice suddenly cut through her thoughts. Sakura looked up to see that Naruto had stopped and was waiting for her. "Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a second!" Sakura called back.

Her eyes turned to Kakashi to see he had turned his back on Naruto and Keda, his book in hand. "But Keda's also lucky," he spoke, his eyes fixed on his book. "She has you."

Surprise assaulted the kunoichi's body and she raised an eyebrow at her old teacher. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, not unkindly.

The silver-haired jounin sighed, fixing Sakura with a stare. "From what I can see, you're the closest thing to a mother that Keda's ever known; she relies on you."

Sakura continued to watch Kakashi as he returned to his book and walked away.

Slowly, the kunoichi turned back to Naruto and Keda to see they were still waiting for her. Her mind spun as she walked toward them, her brain barely noting the random people walking by her.

Was what Kakashi said true?

* * *

"You did really good today," Sakura smiled down at Keda.

The little girl returned her smile. "Arigato, aneue!"

The kunoichi shoved the spare key Sasuke had given her a while ago into the lock to open the door. "Now go upstairs and get ready to take a bath." She stepped aside so the little girl could get by.

She quickly took off her shoes and raced upstairs. Sakura watched in amusement at how much energy Keda had even after how long and how hard they trained.

Much slower, the pink-haired medic slipped her own shoes off and took off towards the kitchen. Sakura quickly poured herself a glass of water and sat down on a chair to rest momentarily. The sound of rushing water from the bathroom upstairs caught her attention, but she slowly zoned it out as she closed her eyes.

A knock was suddenly heard from the front door. Sakura opened her eyes and stood up, placing her drink on the counter, before she walked over to the door. When she opened it, she saw an ANBU member was standing there patiently. "Yes?" she asked.

"Hokage-sama has requested you give this scroll to Uchiha Sasuke upon his arrival," he spoke monotonously, as he held out a scroll.

Sakura took it and looked down at the white and blue parchment momentarily before she nodded: "Hai."

"Good day, Haruno-san," he bowed, before he jumped away.

"Aneue!" Keda suddenly called.

The kunoichi looked up from the scroll and closed the door, locking it. "I'll be there in a second," Sakura responded, as she walked back into the kitchen and placed the parchment on the counter.

She watched it for a moment, deciding whether or not to read it. It was just Naruto so he probably wouldn't mind, but then again it's for Sasuke and Sasuke's an ANBU captain so it was probably confidential.

Turning away from it, Sakura decided to leave it untouched and headed upstairs. If Naruto wanted Sakura to know something, he'd tell her himself.

Upon entering the bathroom, Sakura noticed there were already clothes on the floor—both dirty and clean—accompanied by a towel. Keda was in the bathtub, her eyes fixed on the bubbles in her hands as she stared at them in innocent fascination. "They're so pretty," Keda said quietly.

"Kind of like you," Sakura smiled.

Keda looked up at Sakura with a smile. "I think you're pretty too."

The kunoichi smiled back as silence fell between them and she continued washing Keda's hair. She scrubbed the shampoo in lightly as the Uchiha played with the bubbles in the tub.

"Aneue, can I dye my hair pink, like yours?" Keda asked, as she looked up at her sitter.

Sakura stopped her scrubbing and watched the little girl for second. "Why would you do that? You have pretty black hair."

"Yeah, but I like pink better. Black is a dark color and it reminds me of death."

Sakura froze. Keda shouldn't be thinking about that. Did someone say something or tell her something?

A slow sigh escaped the kunoichi's lips. "I don't think you would like having pink hair and I don't think your tousan would like you changing your hair color."

"Please aneue!" she said, using her puppy dog eyes on Sakura.

"Keda, you have to ask your tousan about that. I don't think he'd like me dying your hair," she said, as she resumed washing the girl's hair.

"Aw…please, aneue!" the Uchiha whined.

"No."

The Uchiha have a small huff in defeat as Sakura finished washing her hair. The kunoichi handed Keda her towel as she stepped out of the tub. "Now get dressed as I get dinner ready."

"Hai," Keda replied somberly, as Sakura left the bathroom and headed downstairs to make supper. Though as she was about to start, Keda called down to her. "Aneue!" Will you braid my hair?"

"I'll do it after we eat," she called back, as she started preparing to make beef donburi.

The meal didn't take too long to make and when she was finishing up, Keda came downstairs. "Aneue, what smells so good?" the Uchiha girl asked, as she used the counter to try and get a better look.

"Dinner," Sakura replied, as she made a bowl for Keda and herself. She picked the dishes up and placed them back down on the table and, at the sight of food, Keda's eyes lit up.

Quickly the girl jumped into her seat and took a bite of food. She ate it as fast as Naruto with romen and looked at Sakura with a smile, "You make better food than tousan."

Sakura laughed at that. "Does your tousan only make tomatoes?" the kunoichi asked, remembering Sasuke's favorite food.

"Yeah," Keda replied, crinkling her nose up in disgust. "I don't really like them that much, but tousan puts them in everything.."

The pink-haired medic opened her mouth to speak, but a knock at the front door stopped her. Slowly, she stood up, looking at Keda over her shoulder. "There's more on the counter if you want some."

"Okay!" Keda said excitedly, as she jumped up and placed her plate on the counter. She grabbed a chair and shoved it against the counter so she could reach the stove where the food was.

A small laugh escaped Sakura's lips as she unlocked the front door and opened it.

A woman with black hair and pale rose-colored eyes stood there. She was dressed in normal civilian clothing, but there was something about her that Sakura didn't like. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm here to claim Uchiha Keda," the woman spoke politely, but with a commanding edge to it.

Sakura stared at her for a moment, before she gradually came back to herself, and let her anger take over her mind. "And who the hell are you?"

"Uchiha Toshi, ex-wife to Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

**(A/N: And haha, I left a cliffhanger!! Okay I'm done. You guys are probably mad at me for doing that but haha oh well, next chapter will be fun. Just don't get your hopes up about somethings.**

**I was glad I finally got the chance to bring Kakashi into the story!**

**Actually I'm excited for Chapter Eight haha...wait no Nine will be fun! **

**Anyways, hope you all enjoy it! I liked writing this chapter too and thanks to the people who left me comments! They made me want to keep writing this!)**


	7. The Past: Part Two

**(A/N: Nothing really to say, but thanks for all the reviews!! **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto or other characters!)**

* * *

**Chapter Six **

**The Past: Part Two**

"Aneue! You said you would braid my hair," Keda suddenly called from the kitchen.

Glancing back, Sakura replied: "I'll be there in a second!" Then she looked forward again to see Toshi was trying see around the kunoichi to get a glimpse at her daughter. Apparently, she was serious on taking the young girl.

'_Take care of her for me,'_ Sasuke's voice whispered in her mind, from long ago, when the kunoichi had first started watching his daughter.

Stepping out of the house, Sakura closed the door behind her and crossed her arms. "You need to leave."

"Not without my daughter," the black-haired woman replied.

"She's Sasuke's daughter, not yours," the kunoichi hissed dangerously.

She glared at the medic. "She's both our child and I won't be leaving without her. Even if I have to take her by force!"

"Excuse me?" the kunoichi snapped.

"You heard me. Now hand over my daughter," Toshi said harshly.

Sakura gave her a sick smile and spoke: "No."

The woman's face became slightly flushed in rage. "You bitch! Give me Keda or I'll make you."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the woman before she drew herself up to her full height and pointed a kunai knife at Toshi. Anger bubbled through her veins and she felt an unfamiliar feeling of protection for Keda come over her. "Is that a threat?" Sakura spat.

Fear flashed into the opposing woman's eyes as she realized she had crossed some line and she took a small step back. Her mouth was parted slightly in shock at Sakura's sudden deadly tone, but she said nothing.

"Leave," the kunoichi ordered unkindly.

The fear continued to brim in her black eyes from a moment before they turned blank and she shut her mouth for a second before opening it again: "I'll be back; mark my words."

Then the woman turned on her heels and stalked down the street. She obviously wasn't happy with Sakura's reluctance to hand Keda over.

Only once Toshi was out of sight did Sakura turn around and reenter the house. Immediately she locked the door and let out a sigh, placing her kunai back in its holder.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and when she looked up, Keda was holding a brush and two ponytail holders. "Aneue, can you braid my hair now?"

* * *

Shadows played in the streets as Sasuke made his way home, a wound on his back keeping his attention. A kunai knife had caught him by surprise on his mission and now he was paying the prince, but he did his best to ignore the burning sensation.

Silence was conducted like music in the air, his footsteps being the only thing to keep the beat. Though, the tune ended abruptly when he stopped and silently slid his key into the lock.

The bolt in the door was removed and silence penetrated his ears again as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Sasuke discarded his shoes and headed toward the living room, expecting Sakura to be sleeping on the couch, but he froze when a small tap reached his ears. It sounded like it had come from the kitchen.

Sasuke strained his ears, listening for the sound again, and when he was about to shake it off and continue towards the kunoichi's resting place, the noise reached his ears again.

_Tap._

The Uchiha's footsteps were silenced as he moved stealthily toward the kitchen, every so often hearing the repeating sound.

_Tap._

Sasuke pressed himself against the wall and looked around the corner to see someone sitting at the table. They were leaning back in the chair, one hand resting against their face, while the other was on the tabletop, tapping once every few seconds.

_Sakura!_

Slowly, Sasuke approached her. Her expression was distant and troubled, telling him something was seriously wrong. Immediately the wound on his back was forgotten as he worried and hoped to Kami it wasn't Keda and that she was all right.

For a long time, the Uchiha had only cared about himself, but six years ago—when Keda was born—everything changed. He would be devastated if anything happened to his child.

"Sakura?" the Uchiha asked slowly.

The kunoichi stopped tapping her finger and slowly she raised her eyes to meet her ex-teammate's. "We need to talk," she told him softly.

Panic flooded his body and emergency signals were going off in his mind. "Is Keda alright?"

Something changed in Sakura's emerald eyes and a small smile touched her lips. "She's fine, but this has to do with her."

"What is it?" the Uchiha asked, as he sat in the seat across from his long-time friend.

A small sigh escaped her lips before she covered her emerald eyes with her hands. "Your ex-wife is back."

Sasuke froze. Complete and utter shock rippled throughout his body and all he could do was sit there as his mind grew as blank as a clean slate. It felt like everything around him was missing and the four words Sakura had spoken were repeating in his head like a broken record. It seemed it had been an eternity that he watched Sakura, but she didn't return his gaze; her hands were still covering her face.

Five years had passed since Sasuke had seen or heard anything about Toshi and suddenly she was back. If she was asking for him back, he wouldn't even think twice on that; he wouldn't even think once on that: hell no!

Gradually, Sasuke came back to himself, but instead of his mind being blank, it quickly filled with questions and worries.

"What did she want?" he forced himself to draw out slowly.

Sakura lowered her hands from her eyes and looked at him with an unreadable expression. "She wanted Keda."

His eyes immediately focused on her's. "You didn't give her over, did you?" he asked quickly.

"Of course not!" Sakura snapped. Slowly she took a breath and continued slower: "I wouldn't do that to you."

A long sigh escaped Sasuke's lips and he sat back in his chair; the wound on his back came back to him. He closed his eyes in fatigue, but the feeling of the kunoichi's emerald gaze continued to burn into him. "There's something else," she said.

Slowly, Sasuke blinked open his eyes and looked at the pink-haired woman. Her eyes were troubled again and she was giving him a hard stare. "It would probably best if you kept your eye on Keda. I don't think this will be the last time you hear from Toshi."

"Did Keda see her?"

Sakura paused for a moment before she shook her head. "No."

The Uchiha opened his mouth to ask something else, but the sound of small feet stopped him. Slowly, he turned his head and looked over to see Keda was standing at the entrance to the kitchen, rubbing her eyes like she had just woken up. "Tousan?" she mumbled, as she rubbed one eye and stared at her father through the other.

Sasuke stood up and walked over to his daughter. Carefully, he picked her up—the wound on his back disagreeing with his choice of action as it burned more—and placed her on his hip. "I'm home," he said, kissing her forehead.

Keda closed her eyes for a moment, blinking the sleep from them, before they opened again and she smiled at her father. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too," he whispered, holding her closely. A sudden feeling of needing to protect Keda came over him and he wouldn't let go of his daughter as he left Sakura in the kitchen and walked upstairs.

Upon reaching the top, he turned left and entered his own bedroom, instead of taking a right down the hall to her's. Gently, Sasuke settled his child under the covers of his bed, noticing she was already unconscious in the arms of sleep again before he turned and exited the room.

When the Uchiha reentered the kitchen again, she saw Sakura was in the same exact position she was before and her eyes were troubled once more. Her finger was slowly tapping the table in a slow, steady rhythm and he wondered if she did that every time she was thinking.

"I told you I would take care of her," the kunoichi told him quietly.

Her eyes drifted up to him and a feeling of deep gratitude took over him. "Thank you," he whispered.

Sakura's face was expressionless as she nodded.

A paused spread out between them before Sasuke looked at his island counter to notice a blue and white scroll was placed on it. Curiosity replaced the thought of pain on his mind as he picked it up and looked it over. "What's this?"

"An ANBU dropped it off earlier; it's from Naruto. I don't know what it says," Sakura explained, as she stood up and walked over to her ex-teammate.

The Uchiha glanced at her to see she was looking over his shoulder at the scroll. He opened his mouth to make some remark, but he closed it once more; it didn't matter if she read it or not.

Carefully, he unraveled it and read quietly:

_Teme, _

_I need to see you tomorrow. I need help with some debriefing thing Jiraiya wants me to do. Or something like that…I think._

_Yeah, anyways, just come and help me._

_Hokage-sama._

Sasuke huffed when he finished. Leave it to Naruto to act all high and mighty towards while he made his best friend sound like a nobody. A smirk still fell onto his face though when he reread it; Naruto still sounded like a genin. He didn't even try to sound intelligent when writing to Sasuke.

"Sounds fun," Sakura said sarcastically, cutting into his reflection of his friend.

"Hn," the Uchiha replied, as he tore up the scroll so no one could read it.

As Sasuke ripped up the last piece, the wound on his back throbbed painfully and a sharp jolt went through his shoulder when his ANBU vest rubbed roughly against the cut. He winced slightly and from the silence Sakura was giving off, he knew she had seen it.

"You're hurt," she stated blankly.

Sasuke was about to spit something sarcastically at her, but he thought against it at the last moment and he instead replied, "I'm fine." Carefully, the Uchiha swept the pieces of the scroll into a pile before he picked it up and threw them away.

It was times like these that he was pleased the standard ANBU uniform consisted of mainly black articles of clothing; it made it so people like Sakura with prying eyes couldn't see the stains of blood whether it was from him or his enemy.

"No, you're not. Now let me see your wound," the kunoichi commanded lightly.

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it. She had done a lot for him lately, as far as Keda goes, and disobeying probably wasn't the smartest move the Uchiha could make at the moment.

Slowly, Sasuke unfastened the guards on his arms before he took off his chest plate. Next went his standard ANBU vest, which was worn under the white armor, for extra protection. Finally, the Uchiha grabbed his black tank top and pulled the cloth over his head to leave his upper body exposed. When his shirt was in front of him, his sharp eyes caught sight of blood. Apparently, his shirt was being used as a bandage for the time he was wearing it.

"Hm…" Sakura muttered, as she touched the skin around the wound to get a better look at it. "This is going to take a few stitches."

Sasuke flinched lightly at that. There was a reason the Uchiha didn't go to the hospital and that was because of needles. He was starting to wish he had just refused to let her see his injury.

"I'll be right back," Sakura told him, as she quickly left the kitchen to grab whatever medical supplies she would need.

In the meantime, Sasuke walked over to the sink and began washing out the small stain of blood in his black shirt. He soon zoned out as he worked. Thoughts of his ex-wife's appearance were assaulting his mind as he kept wondering why out of all time would she appear to claim Keda; it had been five years since she left.

"You're distracted," Sakura whispered from behind him.

"Hn. Just thinking," he murmured, as he continued to watch the clear water clashed with his blood to turn pink before it swirled down the drain and disappeared from sight, lost forever.

"If it's about Keda, don't worry; she's safe," the kunoichi mumbled, as she placed a needle down on the counter in front of her and next to Sasuke. "She has you and me and Naruto and everyone else in the village looking out for her."

The Uchiha watched as black stitches and another needle were placed down next to the first one. Automatically his body tensed at the objects, his mind going back to his past when he lived with Kabuto and Orochimaru. No wonder he hated hospitals. His time with the Sannin wasn't the most pleasurable.

"I know, but I can't help it," Sasuke muttered, as he rung his shirt out.

A light huff escaped his ex-teammate's mouth as she reached around him to get a washcloth damp. She squeezed out excess water before she applied it to the wound of his back. Sasuke flinched lightly at the sudden contact, but he made no other indication of his current discomfort.

"You worry because you're her father. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but when you're on missions, you have to believe that she's safe, otherwise you won't be at the best of your abilities," Sakura murmured.

"That's not as easy as it sounds. You'll understand that once you have your own family," the Uchiha said harshly, as his wound continued to sting.

Sakura stopped moving and she still completely. The kunoichi didn't even respond to his comment. Immediately Sasuke realized why she froze up and regret and guilt hit his stomach hard. It felt like a well aimed punch had contacted his stomach and slowly he turned around. "That came out wrong; I-I'm sorry."

Sakura's hurt expression quickly changed and she gave him a smile, "Don't worry about it."

The pain in her eyes was obvious and lightly he pulled her against him in an uncomfortable hug. The tension between them was obvious as both of their body's froze up at the contact.

"I said don't worry about it," Sakura said, as she gave him an empty smile. She gently pushed him away, but even though she was polite in her words, she held a harsh undertone. "I need to stitch up your wound before I head home."

Sasuke sighed lightly as he turned around to let Sakura continue healing him. He was going to have to make it up to her in someway or their relationship as friends wouldn't be as stable as it was before.

As the Uchiha watched the water drip out of his now drying shirt, he felt Sakura rush slightly at her stitching work, but he knew she was working slow enough so it wouldn't leave a huge scar.

"Done," Sakura said monotonously, when she had finished.

Slowly Sasuke turned around, noticing he couldn't feel any more pain and nodded at her: "Thanks." He guessed she had used some of her healing chakra to take away the stinging.

The pink-haired medic gave him a fake smile: "Anytime." Then her emerald eyes flickered over to the kitchen clock for a moment before they turned them back to him. "Well, I think I should get going."

Sasuke just looked at her and gave her a small nod before he followed her to the front door. Just as he was about to turn around to get some notes to pay her, Sakura caught his wrist. "Don't. I don't want it."

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, but Sakura shook her head. "Think of it as a favor." Then she gave him a small smile and walked out the door, closing it behind her with a soft click.

For some reason, that soft click resounded in his head and a few moments passed before the Uchiha moved to lock the door. With a dream-like slowness, he climbed the stairs to join his daughter. The regret of his earlier comment was still churning on his stomach like a food he could quite disgust and that disturbed him.

* * *

**(A/N: So I know I didn't really give Sakura and Toshi a big fight, but you're just going to have to deal with it for now. A big fight will happen in later chapters!!)**


	8. Missing You

**(A/N: **_PLEASE READ_

**Okay, so lately the chapters have been getting longer and I've had less and less time to work on them so I don't know if I'll be able to get the next chapter out next friday.**

But we do have a three day weekend so we'll see

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!)**

* * *

Chapter Seven

Missing You

"I'll pick you up after school today, alright?" Sasuke said, to his daughter, as he dropped her off in front of the Konoha Ninja Academy.

"Hai, tousan," Keda answered, as she looked at her shoulder in eagerness.

Sasuke followed her gaze to see a male Keda's age not far off. He was sitting on the grass, staring up at the sky, with a calm, careless expression on his face, while his dark gray eyes were watching the white clouds move by slowly. _'Shikamaru's kid,' _Sasuke thought to himself before he turned his eyes back to his daughter. "I love you," he mumbled, kissing her forehead.

"I love you too, tousan," the little girl said quickly before she raced away from her father to the boy sitting by himself, cloud gazing. A small smirk came to his face and he made a mental note to keep an eye on the boy before he turned away and headed toward the Hokage's Tower.

The Uchiha walked in silence, listening to the village around him, but when he was half way to the tower when someone spoke: "Heading somewhere?"

Sasuke didn't stop his walk or even side-glance at the man next to him. "Kakashi," he greeted his former teacher smoothly.

"Meeting Naruto?" the silver-haired ninja asked, as he fell in step with the Uchiha.

"Hn," he answered.

Silence fell between them; the only noise between them was Kakashi turning a page in his Come-Come Paradise book and their footsteps. Sasuke side-glanced at Kakashi to see he wasn't leaving and it struck him that they were walking the same path to the same place. "You too?"

"Yeah," the male answered, as he turned another page in his book. "He's sending me on some mission with Sakura."

Unconsciously, Sasuke faltered a step, but he quickly regained his composure and hoped that the ex-teacher hadn't noticed anything. "What type of mission?"

"Not sure. He hasn't told us," Kakashi said carelessly.

"When did you find out about the mission?" Sasuke tried to ask as casually as possible.

"Why?" the jounin/ANBU member questioned, sending a small glance toward the younger man.

"Hn," Sasuke replied, not giving him a direct answer.

Kakashi eyed him for a moment before his book became the main focus of his attention once more. "Well if you want to know that badly, yesterday at noon."

Sasuke almost missed another step, but he quickly caught himself when he realized Sakura had stayed up until passed one this morning to tell him about Toshi and heal his wound and she had known about the mission. Either she's completely mental or she really wanted to help him.

At once a feeling of regret hit him again and he began searching for ways to make it up to the kunoichi. He could send her flowers or take her out to dinner or something…anything?

Suddenly Kakashi sighed and closed his book, making Sasuke lose his train of thought. "What'd you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Sasuke said too sharply.

"Right," the older male said sarcastically, as he rolled his visible eye.

A soft sigh escaped Sasuke's lips as he realized he was caught…and easily at that. "I mentioned something along the lines of her love-life."

Kakashi stopped mid-step for a moment, making the Uchiha follow his lead, and he rolled his eye. "Smooth," he said monotonously.

Sasuke crossed his arms and rolled his eyes too before he started walking again. He knew he had done wrong and he didn't need Kakashi to point it out to him either.

"So what's your master plan to get on her good side again?" the silver-haired shinobi asked, as the two continued their trek towards the Hokage's Tower.

"What can I do? She'll be upset if I even mention it," Sasuke said in a tone that could be defined as sulking.

"Good point," Kakashi muttered, as they stepped inside the building that held the Hokage's office.

A quiet sigh escaped both men's lips as they approached the door to the Hokage's office. They didn't speak as the large oak doors came into view and almost into reach.

"When do I leave?" Sakura's voice spoke, reaching both men's ears.

"As soon as your partner gets here," Naruto replied in an extremely bored voice.

"What?" the kunoichi's voice asked incredibly. "You never told me I have a partner! Who is it? If it's Genma, I swear I will-."

"It's Kakashi."

A slight pause filled the room before Sakura spoke again: "What?! He's almost as bad as Genma! What time did you tell him to be here?"

"Around nine this morning," Naruto answered, as the sound of papers being shuffled sounded.

"So he should be here about-," Sakura said as Sasuke opened the door, "-now."

"Nice timing, Sakura-chan," Naruto smirked, as he spotted the two other members of their old team at the door.

"Hm…you set me up," Kakashi said in a fake hurt voice. "And what do you mean I'm almost as bad as Genma? Honestly, I thought you thought better of me Sakura."

Sasuke watched as the kunoichi raised an eyebrow at their old teacher, completely ignoring the Uchiha for the time being. Kakashi in turn gave her an odd expression. "Don't look at me like that."

A sigh escaped Sakura lips as she crossed her arms and tossed a scroll at the older man, rolling her emerald eyes before she looked away pointedly. Annoyance was apparent on her face as she focused her gaze out onto the streets of Konoha.

Old memories flashed into Sasuke's mind as he looked around. It was like when they were genin; Sakura annoyed at Kakashi's tardiness, Kakashi ignoring her, Naruto looking at his teacher in exasperation, while Sasuke watched from a distance.

"Well, we better get ready if we're to leave by noon," Sakura finally spoke, breaking the silence that Sasuke hadn't realized was there.

The silver-haired shinobi nodded, as he re-rolled the scroll Sakura threw at him earlier. He turned to leave and gave Sasuke a level glance as he passed, reminding the Uchiha of their earlier conversation.

A long sigh escaped Sasuke's lips and he closed his eyes for a moment. The sound of footsteps was the only thing to catch his attention and, when he reopened his ebony irises, the Uchiha realized Sakura had walked by him without saying anything. The Uchiha flinched lightly at the quiet sound of the door closing; it reminded him of last night.

Silence filled the office for a moment before Naruto spoke: "So teme, what I need help with is-."

Sasuke didn't bother listening to the rest as he opened the Hokage's door and sprinted out after a certain kunoichi. Immediately, he caught the signature of Sakura's chakra around the corner and he took off after her.

In a full on sprint, Sasuke rounded the corner and crashed into her dead on. As one, they hit the ground with a loud thump and a painful groan followed. "Son of a bitch," Sakura's voice murmured, in a pain tone, from under him. "I think I broke something, or at least bruised it."

"Sor-," Sasuke stopped when he realized their position. It was a rather intimate position with Sakura was lying flat on her back, with one of Sasuke's legs on each side of her-same went for his arms. "-ry," he finished, as he stood up quickly, lending her a hand.

Slowly, Sakura took his hand and began rubbing her lower back. "What were you doing?"

"I need to talk to you," he said monotonously.

"About what?" she asked, as she stopped rubbing her back.

"I came to…apologies for yesterday," Sasuke said slowly.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "And you needed to tackle me to do that? I know I'm difficult to talk to, but that was just ridiculous," the kunoichi said playfully, as she gave him a cheeky smile.

Sasuke felt relief flood his body at her tone of voice before he gave her a small smirk. "Actually, yes. You're really that hard to talk to."

"Hey!" Sakura said, as she slapped his arm playfully.

Suddenly, Sasuke smirk vanished. "I really didn't mean what I said last night. It wasn't my place to talk about your-."

"It's fine," Sakura said, her smile fading slightly.

Silence fell between them for a moment and when Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, another voice interrupted him: "Sasuke-teme! Where the hell did you go?"

Both shinobi jumped slightly before Sakura burst out laughing. "You better get going before Naruto sends an ANBU squad to hunt you down."

"Hn," the Uchiha muttered, before he turned his back on his ex-teammate to head back into the Hokage's office. When he glanced back, Sakura was gone, but for some reason it felt like he could feel eyes watching him intensely.

* * *

"Tousan!" Keda cried, as she ran up to her father. A bright smile adorned her face and her black eyes were shining with surreal light as she dragged the Nara boy Sasuke had seen earlier behind her. "I want you to meet my friend!"

Sasuke watched in amusement, as Keda forcibly dragged the poor boy toward him; he looked bored and uninterested, much like his father. "Tousan, this is Haru."

Haru looked at Keda for a moment before he turned to the older Uchiha and to give him a slight bow. He opened his mouth to speak, but another voice beat him to it: "Haru! I was wondering where you went!"

Sasuke immediately recognized the voice and turned to see Sakura's best friend. "Ino."

"Huh?" the woman spoke. "Oh, hi Sasuke! It's been forever since I last saw you!"

While the blonde woman approached the Uchiha, a smile gracing her face, he realized she hadn't changed much. Ino held her hair back in a long ponytail and she wore a purple shirt; the only thing to change was a pair of black, long pants. Her blue eyes were shining brightly and Sasuke noted earlier she still had a _very_ loud voice.

"I was expecting Sakura to be here actually. I saw her picking up Keda-chan the other day," Ino said, as she watched Keda begin pestering Haru.

"Sakura's on a mission," he explained monotonously.

"Oh? That's too bad. I was going to see if she wanted to have dinner tonight. Do you know when she gets back?"

"Around midnight," Sasuke spoke, as he remembered asking the Hokage the exact same question earlier in the day.

"Hm…well will you tell her to stop by the shop soon? I know she'll end up seeing you before me," Ino said, carelessly.

Sasuke side-glanced at her for a second; Ino hadn't even realized what she had said. An odd feeling came over him when he realized that she was right though-Sakura would probably see him before she saw Ino.

Sasuke wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Lately he and Sakura had been spending a lot of time together and every once and a while he would hear someone talking gossip about them being together. He didn't want him or Sakura to have a relationship yet-if they have one that is. He wasn't sure if Keda could handle that yet at her age, seeing as she had no recollection of her real mother. Sasuke was sure Sakura would be a great mother, but he didn't think he was ready for another relationship either, even if that sounded somewhat out of character for him.

"Hn," the Uchiha mumbled, when he realized Ino was waiting for some type of reply.

Ino turned to look at him once more with her bright smile: "Thanks! C'mon Haru, we need to get home."

The small boy nodded at his mother before he looked to Keda: "Bye."

"See you tomorrow!" the small Uchiha girl said, as her friend began to walk away. A smile was still ghosted on Keda's face when she slowly ripped her eyes away from the boy to look at her father. Slowly her smile became uneasy from the smirk on her father's face and she spoke with a slightly quivering voice: "What?"

"You like him," Sasuke teased lightly.

A horrified expression overtook the girl's face and she shook her head quickly. "No, I don't! He's just a friend."

"Right," Sasuke nodded, in fake belief.

"Really, tousan!" Keda whined, as she blushed furiously.

Sasuke just gave her a look that showed he didn't believe a single word she said. "Tousan!" the little girl cried, as she jumped at her father.

Sasuke's sharp eyes immediately took in her movements and he dodged the girl's 'attack'. Keda quickly recovered herself and jumped at him again only for Sasuke to take off running as the girl continued to try and strike her father. The younger Uchiha quickly took chase and the two raced through the village with Sasuke going slow enough to keep Keda on his tail, but fast enough to where she couldn't catch him.

"That's not funny, tousan!" she called out in pants loud that caught the attention of some civilians, making them curious enough to stop and watch the commotion.

Sasuke, on the other hand, chuckled and slowed down when he saw Keda had stopped; she had her hands on her knees as she fought for breath. The ANBU member turned around to see his child was full on glaring at him, with a look that could challenge his.

"You're not tired, are you?" he asked, teasingly.

"No!" Keda panted, angrily at him.

Sasuke let out a huff of amusement as she pointedly looked away from him and gave him the shoulder.

A sudden picture came to his mind of earlier when Sakura had done the same thing to Kakashi. The only difference between them was their looks.

Slowly, Sasuke came back to the present and knelt down to be at Keda's level. He gesticulated to Keda by stretching his arms out toward her in a welcoming indication and waited for Keda to make up her mind as to whether or not to go to him.

Another minute passed of the young girl's glaring, but slowly her lips began to turn upward into a small smile until her face held a wide grin. Quickly, she ran to her father and jumped into his arms before he picked her up to place her on his hip. Sasuke turned on his heels once they were situated and together they headed towards the Uchiha estate, with a content feeling spreading through Sasuke's mind.

"Ne, tousan, where's aneue?" Keda suddenly asked.

Sasuke froze for a second before he spoke slowly, "She's…on a mission."

"When will she come home?" his daughter asked, as she started playing with the collar of his old, green jounin vest.

Sasuke glanced at Keda to see she was absently paying attention to what was going on around her and he released a small sigh before he spoke: "…soon."

* * *

**(A/N: I loved writing the scene with Sasuke and Keda. They're so cute! And I know Sakura and Sasuke's conversation was short because Sakura was like "don't worry about it" but that's just her personality.**

**So that's about it for now. Talk to you next week!!)**


	9. No Patience

**(A/N: So I know I didn't update last week and that's because I was really busy and didn't have time to update another chapter. And for all you people that were telling me I should update them when they're done, this is why I wasn't before! Because then chapters wouldn't be up!!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**No Patience**

Sakura had returned home to Konoha at around midnight with Kakashi. The streets had been dark and empty, but that was to be expected at so late a time. She had thought about going to Sasuke's house, but during the mission, Sakura had been injured and had been sending chakra through her knee the whole way home and she was read to collapse in exhausted.

The moment she stepped through the door, she dropped her bag down on the couch, wrote the mission report, and went to bed, not even bothering to change out of her ninja clothes or heal her wound.

When Sakura woke in the morning, her body was aching from head-to-toe, but her knee was throbbing more painfully than anything else. Quickly, she pushed back the covers on her bed and saw her knee wasn't discolored, but it definitely was swollen. Sakura carefully touched her injury and flinched slightly in pain when a shock went through her leg. Carefully, she pushed chakra into her body to assess the damage.

'_Just a slightly torn LC,'_ Sakura thought to herself as she used her healing chakra to stitch most of the muscle back together. A soft sigh escaped her lips as the pain in her knee faded slightly, but it was a moment more before Sakura got out of bed. She stepped on her right leg, testing it, and when she placed most of her weight on it, a sharp jolt went up through her knee and up her thigh.

'_I just need to be careful,'_ Sakura commented to herself, before she carefully began getting ready for the day. Her first stop was the Hokage's Tower to drop off her mission report, seeing as Kakashi wouldn't do it, and then stop at Ino's.

When the kunoichi stepped out of her house, she breathed in a sigh of relief at the warm, sunny day. It was exactly what she needed after being on a hard mission, where relaxing was an automatic death sentence.

After taking a moment longer to enjoy the sun, Sakura stepped off of her porch with a slightly limp and headed into town. She was going to head to the Hokage's Tower after she went to the grocery store to get some breakfast.

An unconscious smile adorned Sakura's face as she tilted her head up to the cloudless sky and closed her emerald eyes. She took in the sound of the village around her: children laughing and the sound of people talking flooded her sense of sound and a sense of tranquility came over her.

For the past two and a half months Sakura had been fairly busy with missions, hospital work, and babysitting Sasuke's child; it was a relief to know she wasn't in any hurry to do or go anywhere. The only thing bothering her at the moment was her growling stomach and even that wasn't too bad. Today was too nice of a day to pass up on being distracted.

Though, she could openly admit she felt bad for the genin whom were stuck on D-Rank missions on a hot day like this. She guessed there was some group out there at the moment painting someone's house and another team pulling weeds out of some old ladies garden and, just to finish quicker, someone on the team pulled out flowers and herbs too, just liked Naruto had. Sakura still wasn't sure if that lady had ever forgiven him.

Slowly, Sakura took a deep breath, letting the fresh mid-June breeze intoxicate her lungs, before she released it as she opened her eyes. Her mind was carefree and blank as she stepped inside Konoha's main grocery store; the one located just a few blocks to the east of the Hokage's Tower.

She started toward the produce section and began looking for something that looked good for breakfast when her ears picked up a conversation: "So Sakura's finally going out with the Uchiha boy?"

Her ears located the woman whom had spoken and when she looked to her left, she spotted two middle-aged women discoursing between one another.

"She's been after him for a while; it's about time she got him," the other woman spoke, as she placed a small bag of apples into her basket.

Sakura narrowed her eyes in confusion and slight anger as she casually followed the woman down another isle. When the two women stopped at a shelf, the kunoichi followed their example and grabbed the shelf on her right while she pretended to be looking at a box.

"I bet she had sex with him all those years ago and that's why no one's ever met or seen Sasuke's wife; they didn't want to let anyone know what was going on," the first woman spoke again.

"That would mean that Keda could be her child."

A pulse of anger rippled throughout Sakura's body when she realized rumors had started about her and Sasuke; her good day was now ruined. She could openly admit that she had no feelings for her old teammate-those emotions had failed her the week the Uchiha returned to Konoha as an even bigger bastard than before-and it frustrated her beyond belief that people would make up stories just to satisfy their own fantasy. Sakura had to deal with enough shit and she didn't need some old ladies' imaginations to add to the pile.

Rage continued to run red hot through Sakura's veins and the shelf she was gripping with her right hand made a small _clink_ as her nails punctured the metal with some chakra she didn't know she had gathered. War began raging within her mind as she began debating whether or not to ignore the women or to tell them to be taciturn in arcane matters they don't know very much about.

"Hey Sakura," a voice spoke, shaking the pink-haired medic out of her trance.

Slowly, she looked to her right to left to see two kunoichi she hadn't seen in a while. "Hey Hinata, Tenten," she replied in a smooth voice, that held an undertone of anger.

"Whoa, who pisses you off," Tenten asked, as she took a closer look at Sakura.

A slightly angry huff escaped Sakura's mouth as she glanced at the two women, before turning her attention back to her friends, eager to forget about the two older ladies. Instead, Sakura focused on the simple, white pair of pants Tenten was wearing and the light purple, button-up t-shirt. Her hair was just like it was when they were genin, while Hinata's was a little shorter than it was when they were Chunin. Black Capri pants fitted her legs while a loose, fitted pale blue tank top covered her upper body to hide her five-month pregnant stomach.

All in all, both women looked great for their age, especially Hinata who was absolutely beautiful even though she was pregnant. Sakura only hoped she's look that pretty when she was that large, that's if she ever became pregnant of course.

"Just ignore them, Sakura," Hinata said, as she stared disapprovingly at the two women.

"Yeah, they're just bitches who have no life!" Tenten said loudly, attracting the middle-aged women's attention, before she grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her away from the gossiping girls.

"So what were you getting here?" Hinata asked, trying to distract Sakura's mind from her thoughts.

A soft sigh escaped the kunoichi's lips, "I was getting breakfast, but I think I lost my appetite. I'm just going to go to the Hokage's Tower."

"Oh I was just about to head there to talk to Naruto," the dark-haired female smile.

Tenten huffed at this comment and pointedly looked away before she grabbed a box off of a shelf and practically slammed it down in her basket. "Well I was shopping for mine and Neji's dinner tonight with Hinata, but I guess not anymore!" A soft sigh escaped her lips and her anger disappeared as quickly as it came. Instead her voice became soft with a whining tone. "Hinata you said you'd stay with me!"

"I know, Tenten, and I would, but-," she started.

"But you're pregnant and can't stand or do anything for too long. I know, I know," the brown-haired ninja spoke, as she pulled another box of something off a shelf. "Just go before I change my mind and get mad at you."

Hinata watched the woman for a moment before she sighed and gave Tenten a small hug. "I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, yeah, see you around," she said, as she began walking away from Sakura and Hinata.

As one, Sakura and Hinata looked at one another before they shrugged and headed toward the exit to go to the Hokage's Tower.

"Why are you going to the Hokage's Tower?" Hinata asked politely.

"Mission report," Sakura responded. "When did you get back from Suna?"

"You heard about that?" Hinata asked in surprise.

Sakura let a small laugh escape her lips before she answered: "Naruto was missing you terribly."

A similar laugh bypassed Hinata's mouth before she responded: "Temari-san needed…counseling-or so in Gaara's terms-about a relationship that had ended badly."

"Oh," Sakura said, feeling slightly disappointed she couldn't have been there for her long-time friend too. "Is she feeling better?"

"A bit," Hinata nodded slightly. "She and Kene had been in a relationship for a while."

"Kene?" Sakura asked, as she felt the pain in her knee come back. "Really? They were dating for around a year, right?"

"Yeah," the dark-haired female nodded.

"Well hopefully she won't be too upset for very long. It could be worse," the medic commented, as the two entered the Hokage's Tower and passed the front desk.

"Did you hear that there's a good chance Keda is actually Uchiha and Haruno's child?" a Chunin at the front desk asked one of the other ninja on duty.

"Haruno? You mean Haruno Sakura?"

Would anyone give her a break?

Annoyance ripped through Sakura's body so quickly, a headache began clawing at the edge of her mind, and she purposely stomped loudly toward Naruto's office in hopes of leaving all bad thoughts behind with Hinata following closely.

Unfortunately, it didn't work, for when Sakura reached the Hokage's office, she didn't bother to knock and walked in without really caring what would happen.

Conversation in the room subsided and through her headache and annoyance, Sakura realized Sasuke, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were in the room.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Naruto asked, as his blue eyes scanned her and then his wife before they fell back on Sakura.

A deep breath was inhaled into the kunoichi's mouth before she exhaled it. "I'm fine. I just have a headache."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion at his ex-teammate for a while before he opened his mouth again: "Now what's the real reason?"

A soft smile graced Sakura's lips as she stared at the Rokudaime. "I prefer to be known as 'Sakura' or even 'Haruno', but no. Half the village knows me as the 'Uchiha's fuck buddy'. How does that sound to you?" Sakura watched everyone in the office stare at her uneasily and when she spoke, her emerald eyes didn't fail to notice the slight flinch Sasuke's body made.

"I thought I heard a rumor about that," Jiraiya murmured, from his place next to Naruto's desk.

Immediately, the Hokage's cerulean eyes glanced at his ex-sensai from his place behind his desk before they went to Sasuke, who was standing on the far right sides of the room, before they finally landed back on Sakura. "Fuck buddies?"

Sakura lost her patience. "Yeah, you know, buddies who fuck?" she snapped a little too harshly, as Naruto flinched and her knee throbbed painfully.

Earlier, Sakura had hardly noticed her leg, seeing as she was distracted with the gossiping, but now that she was standing on it and putting her full weight back on it, the pain came back full force and it took most of her will-power not to gasp out.

"Sakura, you're yelling," Tsunade stated calmly, from her place at the bookshelf, which was located on the same wall as the oak doors.

"I'm angry!" Sakura snapped, as she rolled her eyes before placing them on her ex-sensai.

"You don't usually get mad over something as simple as gossip," the blonde woman murmured almost to herself.

"Yeah, well they're usually not about me fucking someone!" the kunoichi snapped harshly.

Tsunade eyed Sakura, but said no more on the subject. Instead, she studied the woman as Hinata walked over to Naruto. "They are harsh," the dark-haired female spoke softly.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke momentarily to see he was giving no apparent reaction to the subject before her eyes traded him for Jiraiya. His gaze was fixed on her quizzically and he spoke: "Well are you fucking 'the Uchiha'?"

The kunoichi gave him a death glare as she snapped: "No-ow!"

Sakura's injured leg gave out from under her and she hit the floor with a loud _thump_. Pain shot up her thigh and, as not to gasp out, she ground her teeth together.

"You're injured," Tsunade spoke casually, as she placed the sheathed katana she had used to tap Sakura's knee with back on its display holder.

"Now I am," Sakura muttered, as another sharp jolt raced up and down her leg.

"You only yell when you're injured," Tsunade explained, as she knelt down to look at the kunoichi's detriment.

Silence filled the room and Sakura knew without looking that everyone's eyes were on her. Though she didn't look up; she didn't want to see the looks on their faces.

"Damn, baa-chan, you're hella violent," Naruto murmured.

Sakura snuck a quick glance at the Hokage to see he had a horror-struck expression painted on his face; the look almost made her laugh.

"Partially torn LC," Tsunade muttered, as she looked over the kunoichi's knee and the muscles around it; she ignored Naruto's comment completely.

"Will she be able to go on a mission tonight?" Naruto spoke again, though his voice sounded serious.

Both Tsunade and Sakura looked up at the Hokage in slight surprise, along with everyone else. Tsunade raised an eyebrow, but she shrugged and returned to the injury before her. "I wouldn't recommend it, but that's up to Sakura."

A quiet sigh of relief escaped Sakura's lips as she felt her ex-sensei's healing chakra envelope the muscles around her knee and begin threading together the tear. "I would love a mission actually," the woman replied, as she stretched her left leg out to find all pain was absent from its resting place.

"Oh good," the Hokage said, his face missing all traces of a smile. "Then it's decided. You and Sasuke are to head to Sound and investigate one of Orochimaru's old hideouts."

"Orochimaru?" Sakura questioned, her body still poised on the ground.

"We have a growing suspicion that a group of rouge ninja have been using one of his old bases to build up an army and attack Suna," Jiraiya explained, as he turned his attention out the window.

"Suna? Why can't they send their ninja out to look at the base?" Sakura asked, not unkindly.

"Because Gaara has been low on shinobi since the raid with Akatsuki," Naruto spoke slowly, as he fought off memories from when the organization had attacked Konoha in a strong attempt to capture the nine-tails. "Not only that, but the journey is long; they do not neighbor Sound like we do and it would take them a month to just reach the country, never mind search it."

"It will also help our alliance with the village," Jiraiya put in, as he continued to stare out the window into the village below. "I believe that a war is going to break out between Demon Country and Void Country. If they-."

"They live across the ocean from us," Sakura spoke. "Why would they come here?"

Jiraiya turned and looked at the kunoichi for a moment before he replied: "They were in an alliance with Akatsuki and we killed them off. If they had a close relationship, they would take it out on Konoha and Suna. We would need to keep together if we want to win."

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but Tsunade beat her: "Don't get ahead of yourself, Jiraiya. There is word that a meeting is to be held in one week's time between the countries. We will know what the future holds after that meeting, it may not even come to a fight if they balance everything out."

"But we're still helping Suna even if the battle doesn't come?" Sasuke spoke up, reminding Sakura that he was in the room.

"Why wouldn't we?" Hinata asked in general confusion. "We've been friends with Suna for a while; we've helped them, they've helped us. If they need assistance, shouldn't we give it to them?"

"Yes," Naruto answered, a proud expression enveloping his face at his wife's debate. "That's why the Sand Siblings should be meeting you somewhere along the way."

"The Sand Siblings?" Sakura asked.

"Well Gaara won't be coming," Naruto answered. "He's busy playing Kazekage in Suna."

"Oh," the kunoichi said thoughtfully. An eager feeling spread through Sakura's body when she realized she would be meeting up with Temari again for the first time in a while. She couldn't wait to hear what she had been up to for the past six months.

"Well then," Sakura said, standing up, "when do me and my fuck buddy leave?"

Jiraiya and Tsunade gave huffs of amusement as Naruto laughed and Hinata giggled. "At sun down," the Hokage answered. He gave Sasuke a fake suggestive wink as he spoke: "Have fun you two."

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke sighed.

Sakura gave Naruto a wide grin and she also gave Sasuke a wink, "Oh, we will, don't you worry."

Laughter escaped Sakura's mouth as she walked out of the Hokage's office, knowing very well Sasuke would say something about her comment. Her laugh slowly died, but the smile didn't fade from her face when she realized Sasuke was following her and gaining quickly.

A few moments later, the Uchiha fell into step with Sakura as silence was exchanged between them. The kunoichi was beginning to grow curious if he would say anything, but it was quickly extinguished when Sasuke spoke: "Ino wanted to have dinner with you last night."

The smile on Sakura face slowly deteriorated and a small frown fell in its place. "Why did she tell you and not me?" Sakura asked in almost disappointment.

"She figured I would talk to you before she did," Sasuke responded monotonously.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again when she realized her blonde friend was right. "Guess she proved her point," Sakura muttered, as they exited the building and started down the street toward the heart of Konoha.

"Hm," the kunoichi murmured, as they walked. "What are you going to do with Keda while you're gone?"

A small, almost inaudible, sigh escaped the Uchiha's lips and he tilted his head back so his face was aimed at the sky. "I don't know," he said honestly, as he closed his eyes.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak but movement out of the corner of her eyes stopped her vocal cords. A small smirk came to her face as she formulated an idea. "Hey Ino!" the pink-haired kunoichi called to her friend.

Sasuke's eyes immediately snapped open and his attention turned to Sakura. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you a babysitter," Sakura replied, as she waved her friend over.

Her blonde friend walked over to the two and immediately the girls exchanged hugs. "Oi, forehead-girl, long time, no see." Her eyes flickered over to Sasuke for a second before her blue orbs obtained a small glint: "Told you, you would see her before I would."

The medic gave Ino a guilty look before she gave her friend a bright smile. "Hey, Sasuke would like to ask you for a favor."

"What?" Ino and the Uchiha asked at the same time.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sasuke would like to ask you if you would watch Keda for him while we're away on a mission."

"Oh um…it should be okay," the blonde woman said slowly. "I haven't really talked to Shikamaru since he left on his mission the other day, but I'm sure he'll say it's 'troublesome' either way."

"Oh," Sasuke mumbled. "Thanks."

"No problem," Ino smiled. "Now, do you have any free time, Sakura, because I'm starving."

"Yeah, let's get lunch," she smiled, as she looped her arm through Ino's and began walking away from Sasuke. "I'll meet you at the gates at sundown!" she called over her shoulder.

* * *

It had been a week since Sasuke and Sakura had left Konoha on their mission. So far, there had been no signs of Temari or Kankuro, even though they had left Suna about three weeks before the two Konoha shinobi started their mission, and they were already about to reach the base of Orochimaru. Other than the rendezvous with the siblings being missed, the mission was going quite smoothly, which in the mind of a shinobi wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"There's the base," Sasuke murmured to the kunoichi crouching on his right.

"Where? I don't see anything," Sakura responded, from behind her ANBU mask.

The Uchiha side glanced at Sakura before he turned his attention to the base he had spent years in when he was a genin. He knew she couldn't see it. The only reason he could was because of his Sharingun.

"It's hidden behind a double genjutsu."

Sakura fell silent for a moment before Sasuke felt her begin to burn holes into the side of his head. "Do you think we should wait for Temari and Kankuro?"

"We don't have time," the Uchiha murmured. "Let's just go and when we meet up with them later, we'll tell them what we found." Sasuke paused for a moment, "Or didn't."

The Uchiha saw from the corner of his eyes Sakura nod and carefully the two crept forward toward the base like cats hunting their prey.

Everything was still and silent, just the way Sasuke remembered: no animals scuffled at the root of bushes, no birds sang in the treetops, no wind rustled the leaves, no water ran in nearby rivers. Sound Country was a silent country. It felt like the world was holding its breath in anticipation for something he and Sakura didn't know or understand yet. It was an unsettling feeling that was leaving the two shinobi uneasy.

"Let's go," he whispered, as he reached the porch to the base entrance.

It hadn't changed much. The only difference was the vines that had tied a bow around the structure and the grass that had stubbornly sprout itself out of the cracks in the concrete.

Quickly and silently, Sasuke stepped inside Orochimaru's hideout, making the genjutsu disappear for the two, and he glanced back to see if Sakura was still with him.

"Search the rooms," Sasuke ordered her, as he stepped over to the first room he saw.

Carefully, he cracked opened the door to find it empty. Dust had settled over the bed and the metal desk—the only pieces of furniture in the room. The small window above the bed was tinted black from being left unclean for so long, making almost no light come through; it made the room dark, almost pitch black. The stuffy air was hard to breath as the dust that had settled in the room was given flight from the sudden opening of the door.

It was obvious no one had been here in years.

"Anyone?" Sakura called lightly.

"No," he responded, closing the door.

Silence followed the quiet echoing of the door and it was a moment before he spoke again: "We need to search this place: top to bottom."

"Okay," Sakura said softly, as she made her way to the next door. Slowly, Sasuke followed her lead and took the next door on the left side of the hall.

Hours passed as the two shinobi continued their search, but after Sakura closed the last door, she turned to Sasuke and shook her head. "That's it; there's nothing here."

Sasuke watched the kunoichi for a moment before he nodded. "We should wait for Temari and Kankuro to arrive," she said as he led the way towards the entrance of the hide out.

Confusion hit Sasuke as they walked. Jiraiya had the best resources in the country. They were brilliant because they knew things before anyone else. They knew everything and, if they didn't, then they would find out. It was how Jiraiya got things done and how the Akatsuki fell from power. But this time he had been wrong. There was no one here; there's _been_ no one here for years, so where is the threat that Suna faces? Was there even a threat?

A long sigh escaped the Uchiha's lips as they passed the door that led the Orochimaru's old throne room and continued on their way to the outside world.

Sudden light filled the hall and Sakura made a small squeak, catching Sasuke's attention. He whipped around and saw that there was no enemy, it was only the light that's sensitive to motion; it had flickered on. The two torches outside of the throne room were lit and burning proudly; it was eerie.

"How did it turn on?" Sakura asked, with a quiet voice, as she unconsciously moved closer to the Uchiha.

"It's sensitive to motion," Sasuke told her calmly.

Ice suddenly raced up the Uchiha's spine when he told her that. He felt like he was in an adult's version of a haunted mansion. It was true that the lights were sensitive to motion and they turned on when a person passed them and turned off when the person left, but what was putting the hairs on the back of his neck on end was _all_ the lights were sensitive to motion, not just this one. Why hadn't the others lit up?

"Can we get out of here?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," he said, as he started walking toward the entrance, his pace slightly faster than before.

'_Almost there,'_ he thought, when he saw natural light flood the hall ahead of them. Slowly, he slowed his pace, aware of Sakura's presence behind him and relief calmed his heart rate when two shadows blocked some of the light.

Temari and Kankuro had finally shown up.

As one, Sakura and Sasuke rounded the corned and the relief from earlier vanished to be replaced with dread and horror. Sasuke felt as if he had been obtruded out of life and thrown into the underworld.

"Sasuke-kun, long time no see," the familiar voice hissed.

Sasuke grew rigid and Sakura tensed up at the people before them. Neither could move even if they tried.

"Orochimaru, Kabuto."

* * *

** (A/N: Anyways, an action packed chapter I think!! There's a lot of fighting next chapter too...not looking forward to that...**

**Oh yeah and:  
**_Please Read!!:_**  
I most likely won't be able to update next week because of finals and crap so I won't have time to type or write or anything.  
Um...school is out in two weeks so look for the next chapter on June 20th**

**Thank you!!**


	10. Giving Everything

**(A/N: The long awaited chapter 009!! I know a lot of you were mad at me for not having the next chapter ready, but this chapter is hella long and it did take me 2 weeks to type it and edit it. So all y'all better be happy!**

**Not much to say with this chapter besides "It's done!!" Took me hella long to do...**

**So yeah, no more school so hopefully chapters will be coming out once and week now. **

**And I would have updated Friday but Fanfiction was down and then I went to my dads and yeah...but it was up on Deviantart! So yeah...**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!****)**

_**Edit: Hey everyone! This is still the same chapter, I just made a slight change about halfway through!!**_

* * *

Chapter Nine

Giving Everything 

Sakura felt all the blood in her body turn to ice at the sight before her. Her breath hitched, her heart stopped, and all the warmth in the world seemed to have been sucked out into space.

Everyone in Konoha, including Sasuke, had known the Sanin to be dead, but somehow he was standing before her in all his glory. His pale skin was glowing with an eerie presence and his eyes were shining with a minatory glint. A sinister grin was plastered to his face and the way her was staring at the Uchiha made her skin crawl; she could only imagine what Sasuke was feeling.

"I killed you," Sasuke hissed dangerously, from behind his ANBU mask.

"Apparently not," Kabuto smirked back. His face shared the same evil expression as Orochimaru, but in a lesser version.

Sakura's breath caught in her throat and she had a hard time swallowing the saliva that pooled in her mouth. Her body was frozen in place, but she tried not to show it through her expression as she watched Sasuke come to a stand in front of her, almost like he was trying to protect her.

"What do you want?" Sakura snapped out, without thinking.

Orochimaru's yellow eyes flickered over to Sakura and began to stare her down. She felt like he was reading her mind and seeing into her soul with the look he was giving her; it almost made her heart stop.

"What do I want?" he repeated her question, before he let out a cold, crude laugh.

The noise echoed around the forest clearing and into the hideout before it bounced back out and hit Sakura, full-force. Harsh shivers raced down her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The fear the kunoichi had been trying to push down for the past few minutes came back full-on, making her tremulous body continue its nervous raking.

"I want Sasuke-kun," he said, as he took a step toward the two. Simultaneously, both Sasuke and Sakura took a step back.

"I never got what I wanted from you before and I'm here to claim it," Orochimaru continued, as his snake tongue flickered out of his mouth for a moment, sending more cold shivers down Sakura's spine.

Confusion also infiltrated her mind at his answer and she side-glanced at Sasuke as she tried to understand what he was talking about. She watched his body tense up completely and go rigid as his jaw locked in place.

"You won't get it, you bastard. You're outnumbered," the Uchiha hissed out, as he torn his ANBU mask off and threw it violently at the two Sound nin.

Kabuto and Orochimaru merely stepped apart to dodge the mask before Kabuto spoke: "How? It's two on two; we're even."

"Not in skill," Sasuke vented, his sharingun blazing.

Sakura watched the scene in front of her for a moment before a cruel smirk came to her face; Sasuke was right. He had his Sharingun and Sakura had her inhuman strength.

"Not for long," Orochimaru said, with a wide grin.

At his expression, all cockiness left Sakura's body, but she held her ground. Something was wrong. The Sanin and his 'partner' knew something that she and Sasuke didn't. They had something planned that wasn't good on the Konoha shinobi's part.

Concurrently, Kabuto and Orochimaru made a hand sign, making Sakura switch onto absolute defense. She waited for something to happen, but when nothing stirred in the Sound Nin's position or in the forest around her, she watched them in slight confusion.

A small grunt escaped Sasuke's lips and, when Sakura's eyes flickered over to him, she saw him fall to his knees. He was clutching his left shoulder in pain.

"Sasuke? Sasuke, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, as grabbed his shoulders and dropped to her knees next to him, not forgetting about the Sanin and his pet in front of them.

"Sakura, get out of here," he hissed out.

Confusion penetrated Sakura's mind and she gave the Uchiha a hard look. "What? I'm not going to-." Her sentence was cut short when she spotted a red-orange color. Looking closer, she realized that the skin visible between Sasuke's fingers were those unforgettable colors. "The Curse Mark," she whispered, as realization dawned on her.

"You've outnumbered yourselves," Kabuto told her triumphantly.

Sakura hardly even heard Kabuto's comment as she watched in horror as the flame-shaped markings began spreading over Sasuke's body like a disease. "Sasuke?" the kunoichi whispered, as the markings stopped halfway through the transformation.

Slowly, the Uchiha stood and took a few steps toward Orochimaru before he stopped and looked down at his tattooed hands. "I haven't felt this power in a long time," he murmured, before his eyes were turned to the Sanin.

A symmetrical smirk to Sasuke's fell upon Orochimaru's face, sending unease and fearful chills up Sakura's spine. She didn't like the look they were sharing because Sakura suddenly felt outnumbered: three to one.

Quicker than lightening, Sasuke moved, disappearing right in front of Sakura's eyes and her breath got caught in her throat as she felt someone grab the collar of her uniform. She felt her body get thrown across the clearing before she made contact with a tree, stopping her body from any further flight. The impact made a loud crack and the light from the cloudy sky no longer hit her face through the eyeholes in her ANBU mask, but also through the angled crack down the middle of the cat-looking veil that hide her face from enemy eyes.

She watched as the pieces slowly slide off her face, one at a time, as they hit the forest floor with a muffled _clink_. There, they shattered into more segments.

When Sakura woke from her semi-trance, she felt pain hit every angle in her body: the impact of the tree had cracked a few of her ribs and sprained her right wrist and blood was bubbling into her mouth, forming a red line in the seam of her lips. Her breathing kept hitching as pain erupted in her chest every time she breathed in a mouthful of oxygen. A few seconds later, Sakura slid down the tree, unable to carry her weight any longer.

"Such a stupid girl," Kabuto murmured, as Sasuke stepped in between the two Oto shinobi on a direct path toward the fallen kunoichi.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" Sakura asked in the calmest and softest voice she could muster at the moment.

"It's no use," the gray-haired ninja smirked, as he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Why are you doing this?" the kunoichi continued to try.

"Because I need power and to get that power I need to eliminate all obstacles," Sasuke explained, as he reached her position and picked her up by the collar before he roughly slammed her against the tree.

Sakura gasped lightly in pain as a piece of bark bit into her shoulder blade, but she tried to push way the feeling and spoke with a voice so smooth, it surprised her: "Why do you need power?"

"To kill Itachi."

Confusion hit Sakura for a moment when she remembered Sasuke had killed the older Uchiha eight years ago. He would have remembered that. He had told her a while ago that it had been the best day of his life.

Then fear crept up her spine like Death's fingers when she realized that Sasuke had no recollection of now and the time of when he had left Orochimaru ten years ago. He didn't remember anything: not Naruto's claim to the Hokage title, not his promotion of his rank to ANBU, not his wedding, not even the birth of Keda.

"Sasuke," Sakura spoke kindly, with a smile, "Itachi's dead. You killed him."

The Uchiha watched her blankly for a moment and hope flickered in her chest. But the moment passed and Sasuke gave her an evil look before he snarled: "Don't lie to me," and he threw her to the right, straight onto the ground.

A small grunt of pain escaped Sakura's lips as she felt her left LC muscle tear again. Not only that, but one of her ribs snapped completely, leaving her gasping for breath. Slowly, she curled up into ball and closed her eyes, focusing her chakra into her ribs so she could breath properly again.

"Don't bother, Sakura," Orochimaru said, his voice echoing in her mind. "You're too late. Sasuke is mine once again."

Sakura slowly opened her eyes and felt a wave of memories crash over her. She remembered the day Sasuke came home. Naruto had been so happy. They had all gone out for romen, but seeing as the ANBU had to follow Sasuke everywhere, Ichiraku's romen stand had been full of nothing but the masked ninja. It had been a good day and fun to watch as Naruto tried to get one of the ANBU to eat some romen.

Then there was the day Sasuke was released from his hearing; all charges had been cleared, seeing as he had killed Orochimaru and Itachi. Team Seven, plus Sai, had all gone to Ichiraku's again to celebrate. Sakura remembered she had laughed so hard that night that she had fallen out of her chair with Naruto as they compared Sasuke and Sai. They had finally decided that the two were long lost twin brothers that were interested in one another, but they really wouldn't admit it. Sasuke and Sai hadn't forgiven the two for a week after that.

Another memory of Sasuke's wedding day and Naruto's promotion to Rokudaime entered her mind. And then another of Keda being born and the day Naruto had announced Hinata's pregnancy to all of Rookie Nine and Gai's old team. Those were all some of the best days of Sakura's life and she knew Sasuke's. But now that Orochimaru had shown back up, all of that was lost to him. He didn't remember.

Deep pain hit Sakura so deeply, she felt tears run to her eyes and fall down her cheeks. All the pain from those years ago came rushing back to her so quickly and profound it felt physical. It wasn't fair for someone to suffer as long as Sasuke had; he deserved better.

"What do you want?" Sakura suddenly screamed at Orochimaru, making him freeze in place for a fraction of a second at her sudden anger. "Why can't you just leave Sasuke alone, you fuck?"

"Such language," the Sanin said. "We don't want to hear any of that. It's very unlady-like. Sasuke, why don't you show her what happens when you use language like that."

Sasuke gave an evil smirk and advanced towards her. As he drew nearer, Sakura sat up and began shuffling backwards until her back was pressed up against another tree.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "You really should give up on me. I'm way out of your league."

If the kunoichi had been in Konoha on another outing with Team Seven, she would have snapped out that her league was above his and he should stop trying to match it with words. But she wasn't. She was in Oto, in the middle of a forest, with no one around to help. To say that would have been an automatic death sentence.

"Sasuke, come back home," she said, trying to find someway to stall, as she searched for an escape route.

'_Where the hell are you Temari and Kankuro?'_ she thought, as Sasuke continued toward her.

"I am home," he said.

"What about Konoha and Fire Country?"

"They mean nothing to me."

Sakura looked to her left, but realized if she tried to escape that way Orochimaru would cut her off. The right held the same result, but with Kabuto instead. "What about Kakashi and Naruto?"

"They are nothing to me."

Sakura pressed her back flat against the tree and watched as Sasuke and the two Oto shinobi continued to advance. "What about me?"

"You are nothing," Sasuke sneered, as he grabbed Sakura's collar once more and hoisted her into the air before he shoved her against the tree.

His smirk never left his face and Sakura realized there was no getting out of this; she was screwed.

The kunoichi felt her lips start trembling as the Uchiha raised a kunai level to her throat with his free hand. He reeled his arm back, getting ready to strike, and when he thrust arm forward, Sakura closed her eyes and screamed out as a last resort: "What about Keda?!"

Her voice echoed around the forest, but no pain came and, when Sakura opened her eyes, she saw the kunai had stopped an inch from her throat. Sasuke was staring at Sakura in confusion and, with dream-like slowness, his grip loosened on the kunoichi and she dropped down onto her own feet only to wince slightly as her left knee sent sharp shooting pains up her leg; her back and side weren't exactly pain-free either.

"Keda?" Sasuke asked slowly. "My daughter?" he whispered, as the curse mark began to recede.

"Yes," she murmured, as Sasuke dropped his kunai onto the ground and took a step back.

"Keda?" Kabuto questioned, from his spot a few meters away. Orochimaru was next to him, watching the two curiously before his expression changed. "Who's Keda?" he asked to no one in particular. "Must be somebody important," he seemed to have muttered the last sentence to himself.

Orochimaru's face suddenly turned to an expression of absolute anger and Sakura could only guess it was because of Sasuke's changed state, but she didn't have much time to contemplate on the situation for Sasuke was beginning to lean towards her. She barely had enough time to catch him as he slowly started to lose consciousness to the world around him.

"Sakura," he murmured as his eyes began to drift shut, "I'm sorry."

Then he blacked out.

"You bitch!" Kabuto spat out.

His voice made her look up and her eyes widened in panic when she saw a kunai go flying through the air, aimed straight at her heart. Without thinking, she dodged like she was trained, but her leg injury had slowed her reaction time and the blade went straight through Sasuke's shoulder and made a deep gash on her own.

Sakura gasped out, but she pushed the pain out of her mind and jumped out of the clearing with Sasuke in her arms. She had to get his wound healed up as much as she could before she had to fight off the two Sound ninja. She knew she blood trail would be a map to her location.

A few minutes of running passed by the time Sakura finally stopped in a secluded area. She placed Sasuke up against one of the many trees and quickly maneuvered his clothes out of the way, without tearing them, to see the extent of his injury. Luckily, the weapon had missed all of his organs, but it worried her that the kunai had nicked his scapula; he was going to need bone therapy for a week.

Quickly, Sakura pushed away the worry, knowing that he could survive for two weeks with the injury if she just stitched the gaping wound back together with chakra. She managed to heal it with shaky hands as pain racked her leg and torso. Her breathing became labored, but her injuries had to wait at the moment; Sasuke was the main focus.

Suddenly a kunai hit the tree next to Sakura's head and she spun around to find Kabuto and Orochimaru standing across the way.

"Ready to die, Sakura?" Kabuto sneered. "I wasn't able to kill you seven years ago with Naruto-kun, but this time I will," he said, with an evil smirk. He stepped forward as he bared his weapons, his cocky aura intoxicating the air around him.

"Two against one, very brave indeed, Kabuto. Going to use Orochimaru as your backup again?" Sakura asked, as she pulled her own weapons out of their hiding places.

"No need to be nasty, Sakura-chan. I was going to kill you quickly," he hissed playfully, as he pushed his glasses up.

"It's going to be awfully hard to kill me when you can't touch me, Kabuto-_kun_," Sakura mocked.

"We'll see."

Those two words triggered the battle between them. They jumped at one another-Kabuto being the faster for Sakura was still injured-and turned into blurs in the air as they struck and parried each other's blows. They fell into a rhythm as Kabuto struck and Sakura evaded before she dealt her own blow, sometimes nicking him on the arm or the leg.

Their dance went on relentlessly as they continued to circle one another in a way that some people would call beautiful. It was like they were dancing, but with weapons, and their goal was not to follow the rhythm, but to survive. They both held emotion with their stances and strikes, but their moves were placed perfectly for a perfect defense, making them graceful like a cat.

Suddenly Sakura saw her opening and she abandoned her kunai defense as she spun it and threw it with all of her strength into his upper thigh. It hit Kabuto directly and he gasped out in pain as the kunai buried itself up to the hilt in his leg. The Oto shinobi dropped to his knee and gripped the handle of the weapon without pulling it out. "You bitch."

"Bone pain is the worse kind of pain," Sakura said, as she stood up as straight as she could to look down on him. "That's going to hurt in a few moments," she smiled sweetly, as she turned to go to Sasuke.

He was gone.

"Wh-what's wrong, Sakura-chan? Missing something?" Kabuto ground out through clenched teeth.

Ignoring his comment, Sakura looked around and tried to sense for chakra, but found none. Panic started to interfere her thoughts, making it hard for her to think straight, but she spotted blood on the ground and ran over to it. She saw that some of it was smeared and she followed it around the tree. Slowly she put together that Orochimaru had dragged the Uchiha behind the tree before he took off.

Her heart stopped at the thought that Sasuke was gone, but immediately she wiped her worry away and looked further ahead to see blood was dotted on the ground; Sasuke had left a bread crump trail for her to follow.

Immediately Sakura took off after it and her heart began to race when she realized Orochimaru was dragging him to the north, in the opposite direction of Fire Country. With a heavy sigh, Sakura began circulating chakra through her knee, fighting off most of the pain, and dashed in the direction of the Uchiha and Sanin.

Her heart was racing so fast it felt like it would burst and her body was throbbing from pain, but she tried to shake off what she could. She had to get Sasuke back. It would be a danger to the world if Sasuke was taken and controlled like before and, besides, Sakura didn't think she could break it to Naruto and Keda if he was taken away from them again.

Sakura's breath came in sharp pants as she continued her trek towards the two shinobi, knowing that they weren't going anywhere fast with Sasuke's dead weight body. Her heart was aching and her legs protested as she ran faster when they came into her line of sight. Without thinking, she launched herself off the branch, head first, toward the branch Orochimaru was stepping on, with her arms outstretched. Her eyes were narrowed in determination and her lips were twisted into a menacing snarl.

The Sanin turned at the sound of Sakura's attack, but he didn't have enough time to react before Sakura grabbed his ankles and pulled the world out from under him. He fell against the branch on his chest hard with a satisfying _snap_ before Sasuke was brutally thrown from his back.

Quickly Sakura landed another branch close by and sprung forward to snatch Sasuke out of his free fall. The kunoichi griped him tightly in her arms and landed on solid earth with only a slight flinch as the impact of the fall racked her body.

"You'll pay for that, you bitch," Orochimaru hissed, as he landed on the ground a little ways from her.

"People keep calling me that," Sakura panted, "and yet I still don't care."

"You will," the Sanin hissed, before he shot his arm forward, making it turn into snakes.

Sakura's emerald eyes widened in surprise and she barely had enough time to grab Sasuke and jump behind the tree as the snakes buried their fangs deep into the bark. Quickly, she gathered all of her stealth and jumped behind another tree and then another before she set the Uchiha down. She quickly checking him to make sure he was alright before she placed a genjutsu over him to hide him from enemy eyes.

"Sakura, you should know you can't hide from me forever," Orochimaru called, from a small distance.

With a second to think, Sakura looked up and climbed halfway up the tree before she jumped to another toward the place where Orochimaru was standing. When she reached the area he was in, Sakura watched as his yellow eyes scanned the clearing while his snakes circled around the tree trunks, searching for her or Sasuke or both.

"There you are," a voice whispered in her ear.

Sakura's eyes widened for a fraction of a second as she glanced back. Her emerald eyes saw glass before Kabuto punched her out of the tree. Sakura felt herself free fall from the air until she hit solid ground with a loud _thump_.

A harsh jolt shot up her right wrist as the sprain from earlier vanished to be replaced with shattered bones. Her mind felt like it was on fire from the pain she was suffering through, but she stood up defiantly and faced the two ninja.

"How did you get here so quickly?" Sakura asked Kabuto, through clenched teeth.

"I'm a medic," he replied simply, as he took a step toward the kunoichi while he glanced back at Orochimaru. "Go get Sasuke-kun. Sakura's mine."

The Sanin laughed at the two before he started walking toward the place Sasuke was unconscious at. But a few steps later he stopped without glancing back. "This time, kill her," he said before he continued on his trek.

"Gladly," Kabuto smirked, as umbrage covered his face darkly.

'_Tousan, no!'_ Keda's voice suddenly screamed in her mind.

Sakura paused for a second and it felt like time had slowed. A picture of Keda's face came into her mind; she was crying. Tears were flowing down her cheeks in streams and she was looking at Sakura in such despair Sakura felt her heart break. She realized that she couldn't let anything happen to Sasuke. Keda only had him and if Sasuke was to be killed or hurt, she would have no one. It was better for him to survive and her to die than the other way around. She had to protect Sasuke at all costs, even if it cost her her life.

"Stay away from him!" Sakura yelled, as she took off running at the Sanin.

Footsteps were heard on Sakura's left before she felt a body pin her to the ground. Pain erupted in every limb in her body as her partially healed ribs re-cracked, her right wrist throbbed, and her knee sent painful shocked through her body, indicating that her LC muscle was completely torn.

"And you stay away from him," Kabuto muttered in her ear.

The kunoichi reached out her hands and dug her nails into the ground, ignoring the pain in her wrist, as she tried to heave herself up in a last attempt to get at Orochimaru. "Don't!"

"Shh!" Kabuto murmured, as a cold piece of metal was placed against the top of her throat.

Sakura immediately stopped all of her struggling, but the pain in her body didn't disappear, it intensified. Her breath hitched and she bowed her head slightly realizing that she had lost and now she was going to pay with her life.

'_Only someone with perfect chakra control can do the element-manipulation technique,'_ Kakashi's words ghosted across her mind.

Sakura felt a deep sigh escape her lips at the thought of that jutsu. Kakashi had told her to use it only in extremely bad situations because it used up half of her chakra reserves and if used too many times, Sakura's chakra could fall to Absolute Zero, but she had to protect Sasuke. That jutsu was the only way she was going to get Sasuke out of this mess.

Slowly, Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated on her chakra to her hands before she shoved it into the grass below her. She needed as little distraction as possible to do the jutsu and the only way to do that at the moment was to lower her guard and forget everything around her, which was dangerous for a shinobi.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura dug her nails into the ground and mixed half of her chakra into the water kept inside of the grass. When she felt her chakra wrap around the water inside the earth, she snapped her eyes open and let out a harsh snarl before she ripped the clear liquid out of the ground.

With movement as fast as lightening, she flickered her wrists and threw it back at Kabuto. A choked gasp of surprise escaped his mouth as he was thrown back. The kunai in his hand lowered and ran across Sakura's collarbone, leaving a deep gash in its wake that made a small cataract of blood. The pain made her gasp out loudly, but she pushed herself to her feet even against the torturous pain running through her body and maneuvered the water over to Kabuto's body to freeze him to the tree he had been thrown into.

"Still have some fight in you?" Orochimaru snickered.

The kunoichi didn't say anything as she leaned forward slightly to try and catch her breath, but she tilted her head towards him a fraction to keep him in her line of sight. Dizziness began threatening her vision and the air she was breathing was beginning to turn colder; night was coming.

"Well come on then, Sakura," the Sanin hissed. "If you want to fight, let us."

The kunoichi watched Orochimaru begin his attack, but the pain in her body delayed her reflexes and she jumped away a moment after he had finished throwing his kunai. Searing pain hit Sakura square in the shoulder before she even saw the weapon and, without thinking, she pulled it out of her skin and sent it flying back at him along with a few daggers of ice.

Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly in interest and he knocked them away effortlessly before taking a few steps toward the kunoichi. He snickered slightly before he flicked his wrist in a movement Sakura didn't understand.

She waited a moment, but when nothing happened she took a step forward, only to reel her leg back and stand on defense once more as a snake flew out of the ground and attacked her. Quickly, Sakura bended the water and cut the snake in two before more sprouted out of the ground.

With skill she could have gained only from Kakashi's teachings, she began cutting and slicing the snakes as fast as she could while moving slightly closer to Orochimaru at the same time.

Her ANBU vest started to become sticky and wet, but Sakura couldn't tell if it was from blood or sweat, and her body began to ache as she moved quickly, using coordination as her main offense and defense.

After a while, Sakura began predicting the next attacks with her feet as she realized she was feeling them before seeing them.

Within a few moments, Sakura managed to get them all and she twisted the water around her before she struck the Sanin in the center of his chest, nailing him to an opposite tree. Sakura didn't even think on the matter before she shoved her chakra out of the water and into the Sanin. The water dropped to the ground uselessly as she sunk the chakra into his ribs. Sakura smirked inwardly as she took out all of the calcium on a few ribs, knowing very well that they would become extremely weak.

When she finished, she pulled two kunai out and struck him in each leg, making him unable to walk. Sakura's breath was coming in harsh pants and her left leg made her wobble slight, giving her no choice but to drop to her knees. She stared at him and smirked slightly when she saw him try to move.

"You're not going anywhere fast," Sakura said.

Orochimaru just stared straight back without saying anything. Though his expression was beginning to set Sakura on edge and, quietly, she stood up and took her leave, hearing Kabuto snicker in the background.

* * *

Four days had passed since Sakura had the fight with Orochimaru and Kabuto. Her body felt weak and broken, but she didn't stop to heal herself; she didn't have enough chakra. When she was resting after the battle, Sakura had calculated it out that her chakra would only be able to give her enough energy to make it to Konoha. If she hadn't had Sasuke with her, she would have been able to heal her wounds and make it to Konoha easily, but he was still unconscious and he couldn't carry himself.

When Sakura forced herself to concentrate, she realized that each jump was becoming harder than the one before. Her body was starting to weaken and she needed to rest before she forced her system into going into over-drive and shutting down completely. Carefully, she stopped, managing to keep Sasuke on her back, and looked around for a moment before dropping down onto the forest floor.

A sharp jolt went through her knee and up her leg, making her fall to her knee. A deep breath was inhaled into her mouth before she pushed herself up to glance around the clearing.

A soft sigh of relief when she saw she had stopped at the right moment, for there was a cave not too far off that was made of large roots. Alleviation ran through her body as she approached the hollow and found it to be rather large and concealing. It would hide them from enemy eyes if any were lurking in that part of Fire Country.

Mindfully, the kunoichi entered the antre and placed Sasuke down toward the back. Worry spread through Sakura when he didn't even make a sound when he touched the cool ground. She sat down next to him and stared at his blank face, an odd sense of déjà vu coming over her.

After a moment of thinking, Sakura remembered this is how she felt in the Forest of Death in Team Seven's first and last attempt together. She could remember the fear she felt when she had to take care of Naruto and Sasuke by herself with no protection. She was weak back then and had no knowledge of how to fight in a really battle. Before she had always been protected and could watch from the sidelines, but when Sasuke and Naruto fell helpless and unconscious, she had to learn how to play the game.

Another odd feeling came over Sakura and, when she looked down at herself, she realized she was in the Forest of Death; the world's Forest of Death. Everything came together now like she had the final piece of the puzzle.

They made that part of the exam so that way they could see what it was like to be in the worse situations. To be alone and out in the middle of nowhere with the ability to only lean on your teammates. Only it seemed Sakura's teammates were always down for the count.

'_I'm not going to make it,'_ Sakura told herself, as she looked down at her blood on her uniform them to Sasuke's unconscious form before her eyes turned to look outside.

'_I'm not going to survive,'_ she thought.

The bright late June sun was cutting through the trees, hitting the ground, making Sakura wonder how the light could make everything seem like it was okay. Sasuke was out, she was injured, no Konoha ANBU would be scouting the area anytime soon, and Temari and Kankuro were missing.

'_I can't save you,'_ her mind whispered, as she looked at Sasuke.

The blood on his uniform from the kunai wound to the shoulder caught her attention. She did that to him. If she had only moved faster, he wouldn't bare a wound that would take a few days of treatment to heal completely.

'_I'm sorry.'_

"Sakura-chan! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Kabuto's voice suddenly cut through the still forest air, sending Sakura's skin crawling.

_How did he find her?_

Without thinking, Sakura moved closer to Sasuke and to the back of the cave, accidentally making a twig snap in the process. Immediately she stilled, hoping that Kabuto hadn't heard, but the closing in chakra signature told her he had.

Sakura drew in a silent, shaky breath when a shadow appeared on the ground outside; Kabuto was standing on top of their hiding place. Slowly, the kunoichi closed her eyes and pulled out a kunai. She held it to her chest and when she opened her eyes, she saw Kabuto staring into the cave.

"Hello, Sakura-chan."

* * *

Sasuke blinked open his eyes slowly to find a rather large tree root over his head. A warm breeze blew at him and tickled his skin lightly as a musky scent crept into his nose with the underlying scent of blood.

He bolted up right and glanced around to find a small puddle of blood settled on the ground next to him. Immediately, Sasuke checked himself over and flinched when he touched his shoulder. Carefully, he looked at it to find it was bandaged.

Slowly, the Uchiha pulled the wrap down and his eyes narrowed in slight confusion when he saw his shoulder was barely healed. Carefully, he placed the bandage back over his wound before he slowly stood, making sure his body was able to hold his weight.

Slowly, he looked around and couldn't help but notice that Sakura was gone. He felt confusion take over him and he tried to recall what had happened, but a deafening explosion rattled his mind and distracted him from thinking about it.

Immediately, Sasuke ran to an opening in the roots in time to see Kabuto approach Sakura.

Her body was slumped up against the edge of the ditch they were in and her body looked beat, though her eyes shined with a fierce determination that could easily rival Naruto's. Her ABU uniform was stained with blood from a deep gash on her collarbone that appeared to have been reopened and a kunai wound was bleeding heavily from her left shoulder. She looked like she was barely conscious.

Sasuke was about to call out to her, but her emerald eyes flicked over to him for a second before she looked back to Kabuto and pulled a shuriken out of her hip pouch. Quicker than lightening, she launched it at him, but he dodged easily with a smirk: "Is that all?"

Sasuke watched in amazement as the shuriken turned around in the air like a boomerang and hit him, catching him off guard before it nailed itself to the tree a few feet above Sakura's head. It had nicked Kabuto's cheek and left a large cut that probably went to the bone.

He stared at Sakura for a moment and he touched his cheek as if not really understanding what had happened. Blood swelled up on the gash before it toppled over and ran down his face, dripping on the ground.

"You'll pay for that," Kabuto hissed, as he started towards the fallen kunoichi once more.

Sasuke noticed the vulnerable state Sakura was in and he began to run to her rescue when two figures jumped over Sakura's head and landed in between her and Kabuto. "Touch her and I'll kill you," Kankuro murmured darkly, as he raised his hands to fight with his unraveled puppet.

Sasuke watched Sakura stare at the Sand ninja in surprise, shock, and relief. He wouldn't doubt it if his expression mirrored her's.

"I'll kill him anyways," Temari's voice suddenly snarled from Sasuke's left. She landed on the ground and whipped out her fan before falling into a fighting stance.

"Go ahead and try," Kabuto hissed at Temari.

The blonde woman stared at him for a fraction of a second before smirking, "Fine." Then she attacked him.

Sasuke watched the two shinobi fight for a moment before he remembered Sakura and looked over to see her nodding off to unconsciousness. His heart skipped a beat and he sprinted over to her and dropped to his knees to see her eyes were barely open. The fierceness from earlier vanished to be replaced with a weak, broken woman who fought with everything only to lose in the end. The determination had disappeared along with her strength and she only stared at Sasuke with a dazed stare.

"Sakura," he called, as he cupped her face in his hands. "Sakura, can you hear me?"

The kunoichi didn't answer as she closed her eyes in exhaustion.

"Sakura, look at me."

No response.

"She's over-used her chakra," Kankuro murmured, as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "She's also lost a lot of blood."

"How do you know that?" Sasuke asked, side glancing at him.

"I learned a bit of medicine after Sakura saved me from Sasori's poison years ago," he responded, as he continued to stare at the kunoichi.

"Can you heal her?"

"No," Kankuro shook his head. "I can see what's wrong and slow the damage, but I don't know how to heal her; she needs to be taken to a hospital."

"Where? I have no idea how far away Konoha is," Sasuke spoke, glancing around at the slightly familiar trees, though he couldn't place if they were Konoha or Oto's.

"We're two days from Konoha," Kankuro answered. "We should-."

"Bastard!" Temari snarled, making both men turn to the furious woman.

The blonde woman was holding her should her pain, but Sasuke could see the red in between her fingers. Her sea-green eyes narrowed dangerously and she jumped at him, swinging her fan as hard as she could.

Dust, leaves, and all particles of debris flew up into the air, blinding them all. It was a moment before everything settled and when it did there was no trace of Kabuto. Temari paced back and forth, scanning the area. "Come on, you coward! Too scared to fight a woman!"

No answer.

"Leave it Temari!" Kankuro shouted. "We need to get Sakura medical attention as soon as possible."

She looked back at the two before she glanced to the destruction she had created. A large huff escaped her lips, but she nodded and started toward them. "We should get going then."

Sasuke didn't even think twice as he picked up the unconscious kunoichi and placed her on his back before he took off into the trees, in hopes of reaching Konoha soon.

* * *

**(A/N: Now to the story...Will Sakura survive? Haha I kind beat the shit out of her didn't I? My bad...oh well, some exciting stuff happens in the next few chapters**

**I'M EXCITED!!**

**Oh and the Sand Siblings finally showed up! God...took them forever...but you find out about them next chapter. **

**See you all hopefully next week and thanks for all the reviews!! I like knowing people's perspectives and guesses at what's to come!!)**


	11. Stable

**(A/N: So hey everyone. Kind of a short chapter, but hope you all enjoy anyways!! And Please Read Author's Note at the bottom!!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other Characters!!)**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**Stable**

"Sakura's lucky she carried you so far," Kankuro remarked to Sasuke, as he crouched on a nearby branch to scan the surrounding area.

"I wouldn't call it quite luck," Temari responded. She pulled out a red cloth and began wrapping it around her cut, hissing slightly at the contact of the cloth.

Sasuke didn't answer as he checked over Sakura's wounds. He didn't want to take part in the conversation because he knew Sakura went through everything because of him. If he had been conscious, he could have helped her fight; but he hadn't and she had suffered. He also couldn't remember what had happened after Kabuto and Orochimaru showed up and he highly suspected he made some of her injuries.

"Then what would you call it?" the puppet master asked.

"More like her will-power," Temari said around a mouthful of bandages.

"Well whatever it was, she's astounding for making it so far," Kankuro responded, as he jumped down onto the forest floor. He knelt down next to his sister and took the bandage from her grip to begin wrapping her shoulder for her.

Temari let out a slight hiss and Sasuke thought she was going to hit her brother in annoyance, but she relaxed and forced herself to ignore the pain. "How is Sakura, anyways?" she asked. "Will she make it another few hours?"

"Yeah I think-." Sasuke stopped when he noticed a line of red had traced the crease of her lips. His eyes narrowed for a second before he realized that she had internal bleeding. "Sakura?" he called, knowing it was useless anyways. He cupped her cheeks, but his gesture caused her mouth to open slightly, letting some blood spill over and travel down her chin.

"Oh shit," Sasuke mumbled. "We need to get her to Konoha or she's not going to make it," he told them, as he picked her up and placed her on his back. When Sasuke finally got her steady, his body grew rigid and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as a warm liquid dripped onto his shoulder and fell down his arm.

Glancing down, Sasuke saw a line of blood run down his arm and slowly he traced it upward to its origin. A lump formed in his throat when he saw Sakura's mouth was cracked open and it was her blood was leaving the trail on his arm.

"She has internal bleeding," Temari whispered in horror, as she watched on.

Sasuke didn't waste another second before he jumped into one of the many trees in the area. The moment his feet hit the bark, he took off at full-speed toward Konoha.

It felt like days later that the giant, red gates of Konoha all met their eyes. All three shinobi raced through the gates, but they didn't slow their pace. Sasuke and the others made a beeline towards the Konoha Hospital and they only began lingering when they burst through the clear doors.

The Uchiha skidded to a halt and almost fell when his boots' footing became slick. He slid to a stop and glanced back to see his footprints had left bloody stains in his wake. Fear struck his heart when he realized he wasn't bleeding anywhere; it was Sakura's blood.

"Sasuke?" Shizune's voice reached his ears. He glanced toward the sound to see the black-haired woman was running up to him, Temari, and Kankuro. "What happened?"

"Oroch-," he stopped. "We were attacked," he explained plainly, as a stretcher was rushed over to them.

Carefully Sasuke laid Sakura down and stepped back as Shizune took over. "I need an L5ER stat! Tell anyone who's in there or is about to they need to leave immediately." The woman turned to a brown-haired nurse and looked at her levelly: "Tsunade-sama's in the Hokage's office. Tell her we need her here immediately, no excuses."

"Hai," the woman nodded, before she dashed past Sasuke and sprinted out of the hospital.

Sasuke watched the woman leave and when he turned back to Shizune, everything seemed to slow. Shizune raced Sakura down the hallway as she bark out orders he couldn't hear. Nurses followed her command and some sprinted off in different directions to do as they were told. The white lights of the hospital shined on the group before they fell dim again and as they turned a corner the needles they were about to stick into the unconscious kunoichi glinted brightly, catching his attention.

"She'll be fine," Temari's voice said behind him, in a dream-like tone.

"Uchiha-san," a nurse spoke, breaking his trance, "you and your guesses can wait in room 118 until a nurse can see to you."

Sasuke stared at the nurse for a moment before he gave her a slight nod and turned down another hallway. His mind fell blank as he led Temari and Kankuro to the room they were enlisted to. The trios' footsteps faded into the background as he fell into his mind. Sasuke tried erasing the fog that clouded his mind from his memories, but the more he searched, the less he remembered until he became so frustrated he couldn't even think right. Sasuke hardly even noticed they had reached their designated area until he found himself looking out a window that gave him a view of the rock face that held the carved faces of the Hokages.

'_Naruto…'_ Sasuke thought as his eyes fell on the face of his long-time friend. A dark cloud came over him as he tried to figure out what he was to tell his friend.

Hours passed by and word of Sakura was still muted. Sasuke had hardly moved from the chair the room acquired below the window. He watched as the late June sun shot through the room and struck the wall opposite of him, leaving a yellow-ish glow like a curtain. The sun was sinking towards the horizon, casting long, dark-almost threatening-shadows.

"Shizune said she wanted an L5ER room for Sakura," Sasuke heard Temari say. "What is that?"

"It stands for Level 5 Emergency Room," Kankuro explained in a hushed voice. "All hospitals have emergency rooms rated from 1-5; 1 being regular surgeries, 5 being life-threatening problems that need to be taken care of immediately."

"Oh," Temari mumbled before she fell silent.

A nurse came in a few hours ago to evaluate the trio's wounds before she left once more only to return with another nurse that told him his shoulder wound was too extensive for regular chakra; it needed to be looked at by Tsunade. She said a kunai had nicked the bone and he was going to need special bone treatment for it.

But everything passed through his mind without really registering it; he was too worried about Sakura to care. It was one of the reason's he let Temari have to bed; he wasn't expecting any sleep tonight.

* * *

"I just finished Sakura's surgery," Tsunade said the moment she walked into the room.

Sasuke immediately blinked open his eyes and he realized that he had dozed off without noticing. "How is she?" he asked, as he sat up straight.

Tsunade started toward Temari and was silence for a moment before she answered stiffly: "Stable." Quietly, she un-bandaged the wrapped around Temari's arm, letting it fall away loosely, before Tsunade looked at it. She ran her hand over the wound and Sasuke watched the chakra stitched the muscle and skin back together as the ex-Hokage walked over to Kankuro.

"What does 'stable' mean? Does she still have internal bleeding?" Kankuro asked, from his chair on the wall across the bed.

"Well she never actually had internal bleeding to begin with," Tsunade spoke, as she reached Kankuro. "Sakura broken a rib and it scratched her stomach. Somehow the blood settled in her stomach and it made her sick. So technically she was throwing up and everything in her stomach just happened to be blood."

"So it was a leak and not a bleed?" Temari asked.

"Yes," Tsunade nodded lightly, as she took hold of Kankuro's right wrist. He flinched slightly, catching Sasuke's attention, but soon relaxed when Tsunade began easing the pain.

Silence fell over the room and the Uchiha narrowed his eyes at Kankuro in a thoughtful stare. "How are you injured? I didn't see you fight Kabuto."

The puppet master looked up to Sasuke at his question and answered calmly: "Temari and I were attacked on our way to the base by Sound nin. We would have met up with you, but we got separated and had to fight on our own."

"I told you I could take care of myself and you didn't have to watch my back," Temari spoke. "That's why you got injured, idiot."

"Yeah but…" Kankuro's voice trailed off, and it took Sasuke a moment to see he was staring at Tsunade questioningly. "Tsunade-sama?"

"Did you say Kabuto?" she asked.

Kankuro was about to open his mouth to speak, but the door slammed open and an extremely familiar male raced in: "How's Sakura-chan?"

Silence met his question for a minute before Sasuke answered monotonously: "Stable."

Tsunade didn't speak for a moment as she quickly healed Kankuro's wrist. "You need to come with me," she said to Sasuke. "Your injury is too extensive to be healed by only myself. Naruto, you might as well come too." Then she turned to the Sand Siblings: "You two may go. Take this paper," she said, as she pulled out a slip from a drawer in the corner of the room and wrote something on it, "and give it to the front desk. They'll discharge you."

Then without another word, Tsunade swept past Naruto and exited the room, giving the two ex-teammates no other choice but to follow. Sasuke nodded his good-bye to the Sand Siblings before he followed the blonde woman out of the room and down the hallway.

Side-by-side, Naruto and Sasuke walked through the busy hospital and down another hallway to an elevator. They stepped inside without speaking and continued their silence as the doors closed. Tsunade pushed the button for the fifth floor and, when the doors opened again, Sasuke was surprised to find himself on a floor that wasn't filled with doctors giving orders, nurses running around, and dying people.

The hallways were quiet and clear, say for a couple of nurses and visitors. The lights on the ceiling were dimmer and the silence left Sasuke with a calm feeling, but it faded when Tsunade quickly walked down the hall.

She stopped outside an office with the words 'Tsunade, M.D.' in black, bold letters and the Uchiha narrowed his eyes in confusion when he saw they weren't at or heading to a healing room, they were at Tsunade's office.

"I thought you said my injury was too extensive to be healed by just you," Sasuke pointed out, as she unlocked her door and stepped inside.

"I lied. I can heal it, just not now; I used to much chakra with Sakura's surgery," she explained, as she ushered the two boys inside. "But I had to talk to you alone."

"I'm here," Naruto said.

"You don't count," Tsunade replied, as she shut the door and bolted it locked. Quickly, she closed the blinds on the door and walked over to her desk.

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or not," the Hokage whined, as he sat in one of the two chairs in front of Tsunade's large desk.

"Oh grow up," she snapped harshly, before she turned to the Uchiha. "Now tell me; what's this about Kabuto? You killed him."

"Kabuto?" Naruto asked, turning in his chair to stare at Sasuke.

The Uchiha rubbed his shoulder lightly, but he nodded nonetheless. "Kabuto and Orochimaru are alive. I don't know how, but they are. They attacked me and Sakura."

"Orochimaru?" Tsunade hissed. "This isn't good." Then she fixed Sasuke with a stare. "Your Curse Mark is back, isn't it?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the ex-Hokage and began wondering how she knew when he realized the shoulder he had been rubbing, was his left one. "Yes."

Naruto chocked on his spit. _"What?"_

"This isn't good," Tsunade mumbled, as she finally sat down in her desk. "Do you know what this means?"

Sasuke cast a glance at Naruto to see he was watching Tsunade, who in turn was watching him. Naruto was the first to speak: "If the elders found out, they would think Sasuke was in league with Orochimaru and order for his execution."

"What?" Sasuke asked incredulously. "They can't do that; Naruto's the Hokage," he argued, but from the expression they were both giving him, he realized that, in fact, they could, and for the first time in a long time, he found fear in the village elders. If he were dead, what would happen to Keda? Would they kill her too? The thought made his blood boil and fear for his daughter began to consume him.

"So what do we do?" Sasuke finally asked, pushing the fear back.

"We don't let the elders find out," Tsunade murmured.

"I'll also keep one of my HSBO on you at all times," Naruto put in.

"HSBO?" Sasuke asked.

"Hokage's Secret Black Ops," Tsunade answered. "The only thing you need to know about them is they are loyal followers of the Hokage: always have been, always will. They are chosen directly by the Hokage so you can trust them."

"I don't need protection," Sasuke snapped, realizing that he would have a shadow.

"If the elders decide to execute you, you will," Tsunade argued back. "They are brutal and they will directly order ANBU to take you out, whether the Hokage consents or not. They believe in a perfect village and they will do what they have to to maintain that goal. It took us years-longer than you knew-to keep you safe from execution when you came back to the village."

Sasuke stared at Tsunade blankly as the information processed through his mind. He was speechless, but his mind was running in circles, replaying the information over twice. Was it possible for something like this to be going on in the shadows of the village? It felt surreal to believe that, but from the way Naruto and Tsunade were acting it made it seem all too possible.

"Unless there's a way to make them think Sasuke's definitely no longer loyal to Orochimaru," the blonde woman said, with an extremely thoughtful expression on her face. Slowly, she rose to her feet and walked over to a bookcase on the far side of the room, her expression never changing. She plucked a thick book from one of the top shelves and began searching for a certain page as she walked back to her desk.

"What do you mean, baa-chan?" Naruto asked, leaning forward in his chair to try and get a better look at the book when she placed it down on her desktop.

"What if we could find a way to get rid of the Curse Mark? It would get the suspicion of the elders off of Sasuke and onto something else," she explained.

"How?" Sasuke questioned.

"How what?" Tsunade asked, as she read a page.

"How would you get rid of the Curse Mark? It's tattooed into my body," the Uchiha stated, as he walked over to the desk and sat down on the chair next to Naruto's.

"True," Tsunade nodded, "but tattoos can be removed."

"How do you know you can possibly remove his Curse Mark?" Naruto asked.

"I was talking with Anko a while back and she thought it was possible. We looked into it and got a lead, but we got busy and weren't able to finish our research on it," Tsunade explained, as she leaned back in her chair. "But I'm sure I can talk her into helping me again."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded at the same time, but didn't say anything.

"Now," the blonde woman concluded, as she shut the book, "enough on this topic. Sakura's in recovery ICU; you probably want to see her," she said, with a tone that was something close to motherly.

Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other for a moment before they jumped out of their chairs and ran out of the door. They sprinted down the hall together, not even bothering to ask any more questions.

* * *

Three hours had passed since Naruto and Sasuke had first entered the room. They both were restless from the constant silence and unconsciously they fell into a routine of getting up and pacing before sitting down for a few minutes, only to get up and repeat the process again. Sakura, on the other hand, hadn't moved at all.

A bed sheet was pulled up to the area right below her breasts, but Sasuke knew she had a small scar on her stomach from where they had cut her open to find out the reason behind her coughing up blood. Sasuke knew Tsunade had healed the cut to the best of her abilities so she wouldn't have a large scar to be reminded of the incident.

But the Uchiha also couldn't help but notice from his place at Sakura's side that her hospital gown was pulled a little off to the side to reveal stitching on the right side of her collarbone for a deep gash. Her left shoulder was also bandaged and she looked like she had just come out of a tough fight as the winner.

Her IV drip constantly made a dribbling sound, but it began blending into the silence of the room and when the hospital door opened it was loud enough to break Sasuke's examination. "Tousan, I missed you!" a familiar voice spoke.

Sasuke looked toward the door in time to see his daughter jump at him. He caught her easily from where he was standing, but couldn't hide the wince of pain his shoulder wound caused him to make.

"Hey," he whispered, before he kissed her cheek.

"Sakura…" a feminine voice mumbled from the doorway. Both Naruto and Sasuke turned to see Ino was staring at Sakura in fear and worry. "How is she?"

"Stable," Naruto answered.

Sasuke watched Ino approach her best friend slowly with tears in her eyes and he couldn't help but ask: "How did you know we were here?"

"Shikamaru was going to the Hokage's Tower when he heard Naruto and Tsunade-sama had been interrupted in a meeting by a nurse barging in saying Sakura was dying. I figured you would be here sense you guys were on a mission together so I brought Keda with me. Though I didn't think she would be this bad," Ino admitted, as she sank into the seat at Sakura's bedside.

"But that was hours ago," Naruto stated quietly.

Ino didn't answer as she grabbed Sakura's hand and held it tightly in her grasp. Sasuke and Naruto both didn't say anything more, but the Uchiha turned to his daughter when she spoke: "Will aneue be alright?"

Everyone turned to Sasuke with hopeful eyes and expressions, but he felt so hopeless and at fault, he couldn't lie to them: "I don't know."

* * *

**(A/N: Wow...lots of information this chapter, ne? So you'll find out about Sasuke getting his Curse Mark removed in later chapters and you'll also learn more about HSBO Hokage's Secret Black Ops later too! Fun stuff!!**

**Expect the next chapter out in two weeks because I made a lot of changes to the next chapter and now it's like a page and a half on word...so not really a chapter...it's like a segment... NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE INTERESTING TOO!!**

**Thanks for reading!!****) **


	12. The Awakening

**(A/N: Change of plans. It was NEXT week that I might not have a chapter out...but read more at the bottom!!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!)**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

The Awakening

Four days had passed since Sakura's surgery and there was still no change in her state. She stayed unconscious and was still breathing by herself, but that was how she had started out. Every few hours Shizune would leave Tsunade and Anko from their research on the Curse Mark to check on Sakura, but afterwards, she would return right back to them without a word to Sasuke.

Since Sasuke had first seen Sakura, had hardly left her side along with Naruto, who came into see her almost every chance he got, and between the two, Sakura was never alone.

The past week had been busy for Sasuke. When he wasn't with Sakura, he was going through therapy for his shoulder, which Shizune had been in charge of, and dropping by to see Keda for a few minutes. The therapy on his shoulder had been brutal at first sense Shizune worked it into every angel possible to be sure that it wouldn't cause him any more pain. Those days were long and hard, which was the reason he asked Ino to continue watching his daughter. Sasuke wasn't pleased with the adjustment he had to make in his life, but it had to be done, he had no choice.

A soft sigh escaped Sasuke's mouth as he walked down the hospital hallway in the direction of Sakura's room. His steps were quiet and unhurried and he felt numb to the world for a reason foreign to him. He hardly even registered the fact that he had reached Sakura's room until he opened the door and realized there was someone already in there.

He immediately stopped when he realized it wasn't Naruto. "Oh, sorry," Sasuke said.

Quietly he backed out, but stopped when the woman in the room spoke: "You don't have to leave. The room's big enough for more than one visitor," she said. She didn't look at him, but he could hear the gentle tone in her voice.

He continued to stare at the back of the red-haired woman's head for a moment as he tried to figure out who she was. Her civilian clothing and late forties made him curious. She wasn't a ninja so she couldn't be one of Sakura's comrades and she was fairly old, making it hard for Sasuke to picture her as a friend, but then again Sakura was an incredibly friendly person and she could have made a few older friends.

Slowly Sasuke reentered the room, closing the door behind him, and sat in his usual chair across from Sakura's bed. "If you don't me asking," he spoke quietly, "who are you?"

"Haruno Rika," she answered quietly. "Probably more useful to you: Sakura's mother."

Sasuke opened his mouth, but he could only stare at the woman as he tried to figure out what to say next. He hadn't been introduced to her before and he hadn't exactly expected to in Sakura's hospital room. "I-I'm sorry," he finally stuttered out.

"Don't be," Rika replied, as she finally turned to look at him. Her emerald eyes were a bit dim and they reminded Sasuke of Sakura's eyes when she was depressed. "But I would like to know if Orochimaru did this to her."

Sasuke felt a bolt of shock go through his body and he watched her uneasily for a moment. It was classified information of what happened on their mission and how she found out—Sakura's mother or not—was unknown to him.

"Where did you get that idea?" he asked evenly.

"Sakura was your partner for your mission to Oto, was she not?" she asked casually. "And your Curse Mark has become more apparent than it used to be," Rika explained, nodding at his shoulder.

"How would you know all of this?" Sasuke asked. He felt his suspicion level and guard rising dramatically and his body tensed up. Self-consciously, he pulled his collared shirt over his shoulder more as he continued: "You're a civilian."

"I suppose that's true," she nodded her head to the side before she turned back to her unconscious daughter. "But I used to be like you: a ninja loyal to my Hokage."

"What?" Sasuke said in confusion. He remembered Sakura telling him that her mother was a civilian and that's why she didn't want her to become a shinobi. "You were a ninja?"

"I was a Jounin actually, before my sickness finally caught up with me," she explained, as she brushed a stray piece of hair out of Sakura's face. "I had to choose between becoming a civilian or dying. Sakura was four then, so of course I chose becoming a civilian; I couldn't leave my daughter by herself."

"You don't look sick," Sasuke said as he studied the perfectly healthy-looking woman.

"Thank you," she smiled lightly, "but I have cancer. Luckily, as you pointed out, I don't look it," Rika smiled. Her smile weakening slightly before it vanished. "Tsunade-sama told me on one of my visits that I only have less than a year to live." She paused. "That was last November."

"You might die soon," Sasuke stated not unkindly.

She shook her head slight. "I will die soon."

Sasuke could only stare at her in slight confusion as he tried to figure out why she was telling him this. He hadn't asked and he hadn't pried. He didn't even know her before he walked in this room. Plus Sakura had never mentioned it to him or gave any sign that she knew and wanted to be comforted. Then it hit him. "Sakura doesn't know, does she?"

Rika only stared at Sasuke for a moment and then she shook her head. "No. Sakura doesn't even know I was a ninja."

Surprise took Sasuke body, but he refused to show it. "Are you going to tell her?"

"She doesn't need to know."

"She won't like that you're keeping things from her," he pointed out.

Rika smiled at him for a moment then asked: "Do you like Sakura as more than a friend?"

Sasuke watched the older woman in confusion at her sudden question. He loved Sakura, yes, but as nothing more than a friend. She was always there for him, like he was for her, but it was nothing more. "No," Sasuke answered, honestly.

"Hm," she let out a small laugh, "even after all these years, I would think you two would get together. But you don't like her and she doesn't like you. It's a pity, you two would make a good couple." She laughed lightly as Sasuke felt heat rise to his cheeks, but he pushed it down as she continued: "But on a serious note, I have a favor I want to ask of you sense I'm telling you this," Rika said, with a hushed voice.

The Uchiha didn't say anything, but, when he realized she was waiting for confirmation, he nodded. "When I die, will you be there for Sakura? I know she's strong and she can handle anything, but I know that when the time comes, she won't be able to cope by herself. So I'm asking you to watch over her for me."

Sasuke stared at the woman for a moment, his mouth opened slightly in surprise, but before he could answer the door opened and Shizune peaked her head in. Her eyes were dulled and she looked as if she hadn't slept in days. "Sasuke-san, Naruto-sama wishes to speak with you."

Sasuke continued to watch her for a moment longer before he nodded and stood up. "Where is he?"

"Hokage's Tower," she answered, before she backed out, leaving the door cracked slightly.

Sasuke began to follow, but stopped when he remembered Rika: "I promise I'll watch over Sakura for you."

She kept his gaze for a moment before she nodded and turned back to her daughter. Sasuke watched on for a moment longer before he closed the door with a soft click and silently began his trek to the Hokage's Tower.

* * *

Dying sunlight blinded Sakura the moment she opened her eyes. It burned her irises and quickly she closed her eyes once more with a deep groan before she raised her left hand to block out the killer rays. Slowly she opened her eyes once more and a flash of movement on her right caught her attention. She turned to look, only to gasp out lightly when pain erupted on her collarbone, forcing her to halt all motion.

"Sakura, be careful," Shizune's voice said. "You're going to end up ripping out your stitches."

Slowly, Sakura turned to her right to see Tsunade's black-haired assistant was staring at her sternly, but Sakura could see the shock she was in when she noticed the clipboard and pen Shizune was holding was grasped loosely. She was probably surprised to see the kunoichi wake so suddenly, but Sakura didn't think it was that surprising, was it?

"Don't move; I'll be right back," she said, before she hurriedly left the room.

Carefully, Sakura turned her head all the way to the right to watch the heart monitor that was attached to her and she gave a small sigh of relief when she saw her heart rate was normal, along with her blood pressure. Her eyes automatically caught the attention of her IV drip next to her monitor and when she looked at the drug she saw the writing was too small for her to read. She had no idea what she was on and the constant dripping of the clear liquid was beginning to lull Sakura back to sleep. Though she was quickly forced out of it when her hospital room door was thrown open.

"Sakura!" Tsunade said, as she ran into the room. "Thank Kami you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like I seriously got the shit beat out of me," Sakura replied honestly, as she began pushing herself into a sitting position.

"Not so fast, Sakura-chan," Naruto, who had entered right behind Tsunade, said.

The kunoichi ignored his comment as he raced over to her side and responded: "Help me up."

Naruto immediately placed his hand on Sakura's back and helped push her into a sitting position. He placed a pillow behind her and pulled the sheet a little further over her body, all the while Sakura was watching Sasuke out of the corner of her eyes. He looked unsure and confusion struck her when she tried to figure out the reason behind his discomfort.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Tsunade asked, drawing Sakura attention to the hand a few feet away from her face.

"Three unless your holding some up on the hand behind your back," Sakura said, with a playful grin.

"Funny," Tsunade said sarcastically. "Name and age?"

"Haruno Sakura: 25."

"Rank?"

"Jounin, Medic Nin," Sakura replied as she felt an odd weariness began to tug on the edges of her mind. Her eyes were beginning to become heavier and her body was starting to relax into sleep.

"Do you remember the last thing that happened to you?" Tsunade asked. Sakura looked up at the woman to see her eyes were boring a hole into Sakura's soul as if she was trying to read her mind.

"Um…" the kunoichi began. She was starting to become uncomfortable under the heavy silence that filled the room and the feeling of all eyes on her, watching and waiting to hear her reply wasn't helping in the slightest bit. It felt as if her answer was going to determine the fate of the world with their heavy stares, but now that she thought about it, she realized she was holding the final piece of the game. "I was fighting Kabuto and Kankuro showed up," she said. She forced her mind to replay the images, but the more she tried to resurface the thoughts, the further her memories drifted to the edge of her mind. "I-I don't remember…I'm sorry," Sakura gave up with a deep sigh.

"Ne, it's okay, Sakura-chan," Naruto said. He sat on the edge of her bed and she saw him out of her peripheral vision reach out to her and rest it on her calf. "You're alright and that's all that matters."

"Yeah…" Sakura said. She cast her gaze downward, unable to meet the looks of desperation and disappointment in their eyes.

"Alright, everyone out," Tsunade commanded. "Sakura needs rest. You can visit in the morning."

Sakura watched as everyone began exiting the room and an odd sense of loneliness fell over her. She didn't want to stay in this room, never mind alone. She had been out in the forest by herself for a week with an unconscious teammate, if anything she wanted company. "Wait," she called. The sound of her voice made everyone turn to look at her curiously. "Would-would it be alright if Naruto and Sasuke stayed?"

Sakura made eye contact with the two boys before they landed on her ex-sensai expectantly. A moment of silence filled the room before Tsunade let out a long sigh and nodded: "Well alright, but I'll check on you in half an hour to make sure you're actually resting."

Sakura didn't reply, she just let out a sigh of relief before casting a smile to Tsunade, who just winked back before she exited the room with Shizune, leaving Sasuke and Naruto to stand alone in the doorway. They seemed to watch Tsunade and Shizune walk down the hall for a moment before Sasuke finally turned and reentered the room. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched him sit in the chair under the window against the wall to her left, but movement from Naruto stole her attention.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked as she saw Naruto begin to exit.

"Hm?" he asked, turning to look at the kunoichi. "Oh, I just have a few things to do. Has to do with being the Hokage, you know," Naruto said, smiling at her softly. "It'll only take me ten minutes or so." Then he walked out of the room, closing the door with a soft _click_ behind him.

Silence settled between Sasuke and Sakura as if the shutting of the door had been a request for silence and when Sakura looked over at him he was staring down at the floor tiles, as if searching for something in them.

"Are-are you alright?" Sakura asked him slowly.

Sasuke slowly brought his gaze to Sakura and it rested there for a moment before he gave a pathetic huff of amusement. "You're the one in the hospital bed."

Sakura looked down at the bed she was in and copied his fake laugh. "True." Then her smile vanished. "How's your Curse Mark?"

Sasuke stared at Sakura blankly for a moment. "It's…fine. Tsunade thinks that it'll be a danger if the elders find out."

Sakura nodded and looked thoughtful for a second before she answered: "What's she going to do about it?"

Another moment of silence passed between them and Sasuke cleared his throat quietly, but the sound seemed to bounce around the room. "She's going to try and….find a way to remove it."

The kunoichi could only stared in shock at Sasuke before confusion hit her. "What? That-that would take weeks of research just to see if she _could_ remove it. She couldn't know for sure if she could yet unless…" Sakura trailed off when she realized it was _very_ possible that she could have indeed been unconscious for weeks. Slowly and calmly, Sakura turned her face to Sasuke before she asked her dreaded question: "How long have I been unconscious?"

Sasuke just watched her before he stood up and walked over to her. "You're tired. Why don't you get some rest?"

Her eyes dropped to her hands as desperation came over her. "Sasuke, please."

A soft sigh escaped his lips before he sat on the edge of Sakura's bed and looked forward. "A little over two weeks."

Sakura stiffed up. "That would mean it's around July 5th?"

"July 7th," he corrected her.

A soft sigh escaped Sakura's lips and she looked up at the Uchiha unsure. "Was my mother worried?"

Sasuke glanced at her before he turned back to the window. "I…didn't see her when I was here," he said. His bangs were hiding his face, making it impossible for Sakura to tell what he was thinking about. "I'm sure she was though."

Silence regained after that and the kunoichi found her sights on her hands as her eyes slowly traced the wrapping around her right wrist. It took her only seconds to remember how she had shattered practically every bone in her wrist along with some ribs. At the thought, she gently pushed on her ribcage, but no pain rippled in her chest, and she let out a soft sigh of relief. Then her eyes traveled up Sasuke's body and to his face to see he was staring blankly at the window. "Were you injured at all?"

His eyes seemed to focus themselves to the world outside before he turned his head to look at her. "I'm fine."

Sakura relaxed slightly. Then the Sand Siblings came into her mind. "How are Temari and Kankuro?"

The Uchiha continued to stare at Sakura before his sights turned to the window. He was quiet for a long moment before he spoke: "They only had minor injuries and are now staying at the Visitor's Inn while they have their conferences with Naruto."

"That's good," Sakura murmured. She felt exhaustion begin to settle over her mind like a deep fog and every time she blinked it became harder to open her eyes again. "What happened to-?"

"We can talk about it in the morning," Sasuke cut her off. "Go to sleep."

"But-."

"Sakura," Sasuke said with a warning tone.

Sakura smiled and closed her eyes. "Okay, okay, I'm asleep."

Even though she wasn't looking, she knew he was smirking at her. "I'll believe that when you stop talking."

Sakura's smile widened at that, but it began to fade when she felt Sasuke's presence move away from her. The same lonely feeling began to consume her and she pressed her eyes together tightly. "Don't go."

He didn't respond, but the sound of a chair scraping against tiles echoed around the room before it fell silent next to her bedside. Someone sat in the chair and a calm voice responded to her plead. "I'm not going anywhere."

A small smile of appreciation caressed her lips and she reached for Sasuke's hand as she faintly heard the door to the room open before sleep tugged at her mind and pulled her under the waves of slumber.

* * *

Sasuke had been in the room when Sakura had awakened the next morning. He had seen the surprise on her face from his place against the wall when she saw how many people were in the room, along with the million vases full of flowers. Sakura laughed at the sight of them and immediately blamed Ino—who was standing next to her—before joking she had only brought the flowers because not even people were buying them from the store. He hadn't heard Ino's retort for he left the room when Naruto tapped his shoulder and motioned he wanted to speak with him alone. Naruto had told Sasuke could in the hallway that they needed to talk to Sakura soon about what happened during the mission. "I have all the information from you, Temari, and Kankuro," the Hokage had said, "Sakura's the missing piece of the puzzle. We need to get her alone."

Sasuke agreed, but had excused himself later to exit the hospital and to go to the academy. Too often he had been neglecting his daughter and he was lonely without his child around. Sasuke remembered a conversation he had earlier with Sakura and he recalled how she had said Keda loved him and she hated it when he was gone. Sakura had mentioned how she would always be there to help, but she was currently residing in the hospital and Sasuke was there almost constantly as well. He had to do something so Keda wouldn't feel so forgotten. His solution: take her out of school early and do whatever she wanted to do.

"Ne, tousan why am I missing class today?" Keda asked through mouthful of dango before she swallowed it.

Sasuke side glanced at her before he picked her up to place her on his shoulders. "So I can be with you," he replied.

The little girl immediately burst into a fit of giggles at her father's actions. Only when her laughter died down did she crossed her arms on top of Sasuke's head and rested her chin on top of them. "Tousan, can we see aneue?"

"You want to?" Sasuke asked. He glanced up at his daughter and frowned slightly at her sudden somber expression. She gave a slight nod. "Alright, let's go see Sakura."

He turned down another road in the direction of the hospital and Keda's expression quickly changed; her eyes were shinning and a smile adorned her face, brightening it greatly. When the two Uchihas entered the hospital, Sasuke set Keda down on the ground and took her by the hand as he led her over to the nurse's station. "I need Haruno Sakura's room number, please," he said.

Normally, Sasuke would have walked past it, not caring if it was visiting hours or not, but he had over heard Tsunade telling Sakura today that she would be moved out of ICU and into a different room. Tsunade had told Sakura that the room was still undecided, but they would let her known as soon as possible which her she was to be reassigned to.

"Ah, yes," the nurse said, "she's in room-."

"Uchiha?"

Sasuke turned to see Tsunade was standing next to him, handing another nurse a folder in exchange for a clipboard. "Tsunade-sama."

She glanced at him. "Where are you here? Usually you just go straight to Sakura's room."

"You changed rooms," he stated.

"Ah, yes. I suppose we did," she said, as she signed a piece of paper for a nurse. "I thought you already visited Sakura this morning though?"

"Keda wanted to see her," he explained.

"Ah. Well I'm about to check on her if you want to come," Tsunade said, as she held her hand out for Keda.

The little girl looked up at her father, as if asking if it was all right, and he gave her a slight nod. Immediately Keda let go of her father's hand and reached for the ex-Hokage's. They took off down a different hallway and Sasuke followed the two girls, only half listening to their conversation.

Tsunade had only gone a few feet down the hallway before she stopped in front of another door and opened it. Keda immediately ran in, her high voice yelling "Aneue!" on the way.

Sasuke followed suite and when he entered the room he saw Sakura was staring at Keda with a smile as she hopped up onto her bed. Naruto was standing at the foot of Sakura's bed, watching the two females in amusement.

"Naruto, I didn't know you were here," Tsunade said.

"Yeah. Hinata's out with Tenten and I didn't have any work to do," he explained.

Tsunade walked over to Sakura's heart monitor and sent a glance at him. "Naruto, the Hokage always has work to do, I would know. If you're going to lie, don't make it on something as pathetic as that."

Naruto gave a sheepish grin and he scratched the back on his neck while Sakura laughed at their antics. "Alright, Sakura," Tsunade said, "I'm going to need to stretch out your knee for a moment."

The kunoichi nodded and Sasuke picked Keda up off the bed as the ex-Hokage walked over to the right side of the bed. She slowly pulled Sakura's covers off of her left leg and looked it over a moment before she grabbed her ankle and under her calf.

"Tell me when it hurts," Tsunade said.

Slowly, she bent her leg and when it was almost at a ninety-degree angle Sasuke saw Sakura clench her teeth together. Her body tensed up and her eyes narrowed in pain and he could tell she was in quite a bit of pain, but she didn't say anything. Tsunade continued bending her knee not paying attention to Sakura too much sense she was more focused on concentrating on the muscle. The blonde woman only stopped when Sakura spoke in a pained voice: "Stop."

Tsunade immediately ceased pushing and slowly brought her leg out straight again so she didn't overuse the muscle too much. Sasuke's eyes were set on Sakura who was panting slightly from the pain she just experienced, but he could see she wasn't going to complain about it.

"Hm…I'm suspending you from missions for a month," Tsunade said.

She wrote something unknown to Sasuke and Naruto as Sakura snapped out: "What? Oh, come on." A deep sigh escaped her lips and she fell back onto the pillows in defeat. "This totally sucks."

"I'm sorry, Sakura," Tsunade said. She looked down at her before resuming her writing. "You really messed up your knee; you're lucky I didn't make it two months."

Sasuke saw Sakura glare at her ex-sensai for a moment before she let out another sigh and turned her gaze to him. They just stared at one another for a moment and her expression gave Sasuke the idea that she was trying to apologize for something, but their exchange was quickly interrupted when Tsunade spoke again, this time her attention on Naruto. "I never heard, what happened between Demon and Void Country?"

Naruto looked at her for a moment before he answered: "The threat of a war is gone, but only because the leaders signed a treaty. Apparently, they believed each country's ninja were passing one another's boundaries," he explained. "Though when Jiraiya checked it out, he said there was no evidence anywhere."

"Not a big surprise," Tsunade said. "Demon and Void have been on uneven terms for decades; they'll fight over nothing just because they can. I'm surprised they didn't battle it out."

Sasuke watched Tsunade carefully as she spoke, though she didn't seem too interested in the conversation as she wrote and checked things off on her clipboard. Her mind appeared to be more set on what she was doing rather than what she was saying, but her words made sense and were true to the facts.

"What about the threat to Suna?" Sasuke asked. He set Keda down on the edge of Sakura's bed and looked to Naruto to see he had his mouth open to speak.

Slowly, Naruto turned to Sasuke and stared at him for a long moment as if trying to decide what he could or wanted to tell him. A handful of emotions ran through the Hokage's eyes and he couldn't help but notice uneasiness crossed his face more than once. Whatever he was thinking, Sasuke knew it wasn't the friendliest topic. Naruto visible swallowed. "I'm having a meeting with Gaara and Jiraiya soon and we're going to talk about the recent events."

Sasuke knew at once he was talking about the appearance of Orochimaru and Kabuto and they had to decide on what could be the outcome of their arrival. The Sannin always had a grudge against Konoha, which meant that the city was going to have to be on guard at all times. If he decided to attack, Konoha had to be ready at a moment's notice.

"We're going to have to-," Sasuke started.

"No," Sakura interrupted. "I don't want to talk about this right now."

Sasuke and Naruto both turned to the kunoichi, but her face was void of any emotion. The only thing Sasuke noticed was out of place were her eyes; they were hard and guarded as if she was hiding her deepest secret. She knew something that they didn't and from the shielded look in her gaze she didn't seem to be inclined to sharing.

An awkward silence began to claim the room, but no one made a move to readjust the volume. Sasuke and Sakura continued their staring contest while Naruto's eyes flickered back and forth between the two. Keda was watching her father curiously and Tsunade was surveying Sakura with a raised eyebrow. If the people in the room weren't so stubborn, Sasuke was sure they would all be fidgeting restlessly.

Luckily, the door opened and Shizune stepped halfway in. "Tsunade-sama, we need-," she stopped when she felt the atmosphere of the room. "Should I come back later?"

"No, I was finished," the blonde woman said. She set her clipboard down on the stand next to Sakura's bed and started for the door only to stop and glance back at everyone in the room. She appeared to want to say something, but changed her mind at the last second and closed the door with a resounded 'click'.

When Sasuke turned back to Sakura, she had a bright smile on her face and she was staring at Keda instead of him. "How was the academy today?"

Keda's black eyes immediately began shinning and she turned to look at Sakura with her own smile. "Otousan took me out early and we went…" Keda began listing off all the places and things the two did that day, giving a little more exaggeration to the story than necessary, but Sakura smiled and laughed throughout the whole thing. She side glanced at Sasuke every once and a while when Keda _really_ overstated things, but didn't say anything.

One comment the little girl made set Naruto off on a story he had on one of Jiraiya's adventures. That set off a round of stories the three ex-teammates had all been on. They told ones from when they were on solo missions and they talked about old memories from Team Seven when they were twelve. Keda laughed when Naruto retold the story of the bell test and how he got tied to a tree by the ankle. Sasuke also mentioned how he was the one to be tied to the log at the very end. They all laughed at him until he spoke of how Sakura thought Sasuke was just a head when Kakashi pulled him underground and she fainted. Sakura snapped back that at least she didn't catch her own shadow clone jutsu, thinking it was Kakashi. Naruto fell silent after that while Keda laughed at him.

It was only when twilight filtered through the window and shadows crouched like hunting tigers in the corners of the room did Sasuke realize how late it was. The fiery light struck the opposite wall of the window, touching and basking them all in the warm rays on the dying sun. Peace had settled like dust in the room and only smiles were accepted on their faces. It felt like the occurrences of a few weeks earlier had never existed and they were just Team Seven again, but with a bit more experience and they were a little older.

But the peace was disturbed when Sasuke realized it was time for him and Keda to be leaving. "Come on, Keda. You have class tomorrow."

Immediately his child looked up at him with a pout. "But otousan, it's not even late."

"It's late enough." His gaze was stern, but gentle, giving her no room for arguing.

"He's right," Sakura put in. "It's late, but you can always come and see me tomorrow."

Keda pouted for a moment longer before her frown straightened out and changed to a smile. She gave a small nod and took Sasuke's hand while waving to Naruto and Sakura with the other. "Bye aneue, bye uncle Naruto!"

They copied her good-bye before the two Uchihas exited the room and made their way down the calm hallway. They walked in silence and when Sasuke looked down at his daughter he saw a smile still adorned her face, making a small smile of his own caress his lips.

"Sasuke."

He looked up at the sound of his name to see Tsunade approach him. Her walk was unhurried, but her expression gave away that she wanted something.

"Tsunade-sama," he replied.

"I left my clipboard in Sakura's room, will you go get it for me?" she asked politely.

Sasuke watched the blonde woman for a moment, hearing the hidden tone in her voice. She sounded more like she wanted him to do more, but his mind came up blank at it. Instead, he spoke to her slowly: "I was about to take Keda home actually."

"I can watch her while you go get it," Tsunade smiled, as she grabbed Keda's hand and walked over to the nurse's station.

Sasuke watched the two girls walk away for a long second as he tried to figure out what exactly happened. Honestly, he just wanted to go home and go to bed; he was tired. Sasuke just rolled his eyes at the ex-hokage and a sigh escaped his lips before he turned on his heels and strolled back to Sakura's room.

When he reached it, his noticed the door was no longer cracked in welcome, but closed shut. Sasuke raised his hand to knock on the door, but stopped when hushed voices reached his ears: "I told you before, Naruto, all that happened was Orochimaru and Kabuto did some jutsu that brought out Sasuke Curse Mark. I don't know why, but Sasuke just collapsed." That was Sakura.

"So he didn't attack you or Orochimaru or Kabuto?" Naruto questions. "He just passed out?"

"Yes."

Relief flooded Sasuke's veins at her claim and it felt like a huge burden had been lifted off of his shoulders, but something in the back of his mind began nagging at him. He was happy he hadn't done anything to harm Sakura and he was even more relieved because the elders couldn't do anything, but there was something still there.

What if Sakura was lying?

Sasuke shook his head fiercely as if trying to shake the thought away. Sakura wouldn't lie to Naruto about what happened, but just to be sure, he would ask Sakura himself about what happened; it was the only way to be sure.

Quickly the Uchiha raised his hand and knocked, letting the two knock that someone was coming in before they notice his presence outside the room and he opened the door. Sakura and Naruto both turned and stared in surprise at him for a long second.

"Sasuke, I thought you went home," Sakura said unsure.

"Tsunade asked me to get her clipboard."

* * *

**(A/N: You know what? I like writing in Sakura's POV more than Sasuke's! She's so much easier to relate to than Sasuke. Plus, it's easier to write her personality!!**

**HM...next chapter makes me laugh at the beginning, Sakura reminds me of House but you'll figure out why later!! **

**And Next chapter might not be out next week. It's kind of long and there's a lot in it so yeah. Don't expect it next week!! Sorry!!**

**That's about it! See ya'll later!!  
**


	13. Night of Twilight

**(A/N: So I'm going on vacation next Thursday and I won't have the next chapter out for a while. I get back August 2nd and I 'might' have the next chapter ready by the next Friday. I don't know yet. So...thanks for staying with me and I hope you enjoy this chapter!!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!)**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

**Night of Twilight**

The moment Sasuke walked into the hospital an odd silence met his ears. He looked around, but there weren't any nurses and doctors rushing around with injured or dying shinobi. There weren't any families waiting and/or weeping for their loved ones. In fact there wasn't anyone, only a nurse typing on a computer at the front desk.

"Hello Uchiha-san," she said as he walked by on his usual route to Sakura's hospital room. She paused for a moment as if she was unsure. "Um…Haruno-san's office is that way," she pointed down a different hallway.

He stopped and looked at the nurse. "I'm sorry?" Sasuke asked. He turned and looked at her in confusion as he tried to understand the nurse's comment.

"Oh, did she not tell you?" she asked in general confusion.

"Tell me what?"

"She was discharged from the hospital yesterday," she explained slowly as if she didn't understand the situation.

"Oh," Sasuke said slowly. "Um…thank you." He slowly turned and started in the direction of Sakura's office, realizing that the nurse had told him the direction of Sakura's office because she was probably there.

Confusion wrapped itself around Sasuke's mind as he tried to figure out why and how Sakura got discharged from the hospital when she had only been conscious for a week. It wasn't like Tsunade to let _anyone_ out of the hospital with the condition Sakura was in. He would think that the blonde woman would be extra cautious with Sakura, seeing as she was her apprentice and her most trusted medic—well maybe next to Shizune.

Quietly, Sasuke opened Sakura's door to find the kunoichi sitting at her desk with her back to him. Her right hand was moving quickly, giving Sasuke the idea she was probably too busy writing whatever it was to notice him.

"Sakura," he said.

Sasuke saw her jump in surprise. "Huh?!" she exclaimed. The pen she was holding loosened from her grasp and was thrown into the air in her fright. It did a few flips in the air before Sakura caught it once more and spun her chair around to face him. "Sasuke! You scared the shit out of me."

Sasuke didn't responded as he entered her office all the way and shut the door behind him. It was only after the door closed softly did he answer: "You were released from the hospital quickly."

"What?" Sakura asked in honestly confusion. It took her a moment to understand his comment. "Oh, Tsunade released me late last night. She said I was in good enough shape to be let out, but she wants me to do a shift every other day so she can keep an eye on me."

"You only woke up a week ago," he stated.

"Some people say I'm a fast healer," she smiled playfully. "Plus I wanted to go to the annul mid-July summer festival in a few days."

Sasuke didn't reply as Sakura stood up and walked around the side of her desk with a heavy limp. He could only stare in surprise at the kunoichi when she came around the desk, picking up a file on the desktop with her right hand sense her left hand was full before she turned to him. "What?"

"You're using a cane?" he asked. Sasuke took in the wooden stick she was using to keep most of her weight off of her left leg.

Sakura glared at him, but he could tell it was only half-hearted, as she walked passed him and exited the room. Sasuke followed after a moment, hearing her comment before shadowing her: "Yeah, some people need them when they get leg injuries."

A smirk came to his face at her remark and he continued to watch her curiously as he shut her office door and followed her down the hall. He easily caught up to her slow pace and was going to make a cunning remark but stopped himself when he remembered his specific reason for coming to see her; it was one reason he didn't bring Keda with him. Instead, Sasuke felt himself bring his eyes to the bright lights above the hallway they were walking through as he tried to think of a casual way to bring up the conversation.

He had originally thought he was going to bring up the conversation in an isolated area—her hospital room—and he could bring it up casually, but the two were now in the middle of the hall in the Konoha hospital. Sasuke began wondering if he should just tell her he came to see how she was doing and come back another day and try again but something told him this was going to be the only time for a long while he could talk to her about it.

"What do you want to know?" Sakura suddenly asked.

"What?" Sasuke asked. He brought his eyes down from the ceiling and looked at his part-time teammate in confusion; he wanted to be sure they were talking about the same thing.

"Everyone's wanted to know what happened on our mission, say for you," she explained. She stopped and looked at him with a level stare. "Apparently something's bothering you and I can only guess."

Sasuke met Sakura's gaze blankly and he felt his heart stop as he made himself wait in anticipation for the answer of his unasked question. His stomach was doing uncomfortable flips and his heart was beating painfully in his chest. An invisible breath was drawn into his mouth before he answered: "I was just wondering if I…attacked you while I was under the influence of-."

"Sasuke," she cut him off sharply. "I'm going to tell you exactly what I told Naruto," Sakura said slowly and gently. "All that happened was Orochimaru did a jutsu that backfired." She paused for a moment as if to make sure he was listening. "It's true your Curse Mark came out, but you only collapsed and that's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

Sasuke stared at Sakura for a moment, refusing to let the relief flood him yet. "Are you lying?"

"Do you want me to?" Sakura asked with a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Sasuke. You didn't do anything to hurt me, though I kind of wish you did to Orochimaru…but nothing happened so stop thinking that something did," she said gently.

Sasuke just watched her carefully before he gave her a nod of acceptance.

"Well then," Sakura smiled as she straightened up, "if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do before I head home for the day. I'll see you around, Sasuke."

Sakura then turned and walked away slowly, the cane that was causing her to walk at a slower pace than her normal speed, making a soft tapping noise all the way. Sasuke made no move or comment to falter her actions and when she opened the door to a patient's room he continued to watch her. She seemed to sense his eyes because she opened the door halfway and looked back at him to see he was still watching her. A reassuring smile caressed her lips and she gave him a small waved with the hand holding the folder. Sasuke nodded his reply before she limped into the room and disappeared from his sight.

He continued to stare at the last spot he saw her for a long moment before he turned around and made his way out of the hospital. He felt his body relax from all tension he had felt earlier and his day become that much better at knowing he hadn't done anything wrong to Sakura. If he had hurt Sakura, he didn't think he could be comfortable around her anymore.

* * *

"Come on, Sakura!" Rika called. A loud tapping sound echoed through the house, telling Sakura that her mother was tapping her foot impatiently and that she wanted to go.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she called back. Carefully Sakura straightened her pink kimono before she began making her way down the stairs, using the railing as a support for her.

It had taken Sakura a while, but she had finally begged Tsunade enough to have her ex-sensai heal her leg enough so she didn't need a crutch to walk with. It had annoyed her when Sasuke blurted out the comment about her cane and she didn't want to hear the same thing from multiple people at the summer festival. Tonight, all she wanted to do was relax and have some fun, something she hadn't done in Kami knows how long.

"Sakura!"

"I said I was coming!" Sakura called back. "A little patience for the crippled, please?"

"Yeah," her mom snorted, "crippled my ass."

A small jolt of worry hit Sakura when she heard the same wheeze in her mom's voice she had been hearing for a few weeks. It wasn't natural and her medic persona was telling her something was wrong, but she didn't ask. If her mom was sick, she would tell Sakura and she shouldn't fret over it. With a small, Sakura landed on the downstairs floor only to see her mother roll her eyes. The kunoichi couldn't help but glare at her half-heartedly. "Hey!"

The two women laughed at one another before they looked each other over. Rika circled her daughter and straightened out the back of her kimono from some wrinkles Sakura had accidentally caused. She then checked her make-up and hair, pulling on a few of Sakura's curls to make them look better.

"Okay, okay, okaasan," Sakura said. She swatted her mother's hand away as she began making everything absolutely perfect. "It's not like we're going to my wedding."

"I can dream, can't I?" she asked with a cheeky grin. "At least that cane of yours is gone."

"Hey, that thing was very helpful," Sakura said in fake defending voice.

Rika huffed as the two walked out of the older woman's home. She locked up before they turned down the road to the main street in Konoha, making small talk on their way down to the main square all the while Sakura taking in the couples on the way.

They looked so happy it made her want to cry and wallow in her own misery at her absence of a love life. She couldn't remember the last time she had been kissed by a lover and it took her a long moment to remember it had been when she had been dating Kiba, but those kisses had always been uncomfortable. She wanted to have a lover and it pained her when she saw how happy they were with one another. The only relationship she could remember when she was happy was when she was going out with Naruto. He had been so sweet and so gentle and it was so perfect. And then she broke up with him. She didn't hate herself for stopping it because she had made him and Hinata happy.

"Sakura!" a voice yelled.

Immediately Sakura ripped herself out of her thoughts to see Ino was standing not too far off. The blonde was waving at her from a small distance. She was with Shikamaru and her son, but she left them behind as she walked quickly to her long time friend in long, hurried strides.

"It's so good to see you out of the hospital," Ino smiled as she embraced Sakura in a light hug. When she pulled back, she kept Sakura at arms length and looked her up and down. "You look beautiful!"

"Thanks," Sakura smiled. She glanced her friend up and down to see her light blue kimono matched her eyes perfectly, making her shine like a goddess. "I would say the same to you, but you've probably already heard it a million times from Shika."

Ino giggled lightly and glanced back at her husband with a smile, making her ponytail of curls bounce slightly. He strolled lazily over to the two with their son at his side and Shikamaru gave a small, lazy grin back at his wife before he turned to Sakura: "It's good to see you out and about, Sakura. I can't tell you how many days Ino would come home late from visiting you in the hospital."

"Oh," Sakura said, not really sure of how to respond. "Thanks,"

An awkward silence began to settle over them, but it was broken when Rika spoke: "Damn, he looks good tonight."

Simultaneously, Ino and Sakura looked at her before following her gaze down the street to whom the woman was talking about. Sakura's eyes immediately widened at her mother's comment and for several long seconds all she could do was stare at the man.

Uchiha Sasuke.

Sakura felt her heart stop at the sight of him and she felt herself get memorized by the way the lantern light bounced and refracted color on his dark, mid-night hair. His ebony eyes were watching his daughter as she stared in wonder at her surroundings as warm light shimmered in the dark depths of his gaze. Sakura could see a small smile shadowed on his lips at her happiness. The dark blue kimono he was wearing looked almost black in the lighting and it had deep crimson dragons embroidering the back and collar, reminding Sakura of his Sharingun. It took most of her will power to rip her eyes away from him to glare at her mom: "Okaasan!"

"What? I was just being honest," she said. A cheeky grin was the only thing to give away her playfulness.

Sakura didn't reply. She glared at her mother before her attention caught motion behind the older woman, but before Sakura could react, she felt herself being engulfed in a tight hug. "Sakura, thank Kami you're alright!" Temari said. "I've been so busy lately I haven't been able to see how you're doing. Are you feeling alright?"

Sakura smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. What about you?"

"Great, actually," Temari smiled back. "I'm kind of surprised to see you out of the hospital already. I was so worried about you when you started throwing up blood. You scared the shit out of me! Don't ever do that again!"

Sakura laughed lightly at Temari's worried and protective nature over her. She could honestly say that the Suna kunoichi was like the older sister she never had. When they got together, they gossiped and talked about everything. It all started after Sakura had saved Kankuro. Temari was the first person to thank Sakura and she had hugged her so tightly Sakura couldn't breath, but she didn't pull away because she knew that Temari was genuinely grateful. It was a few months later that Temari had shown up in Konoha and had found her once more to thank her again. They went out to lunch and chatted and found they had more things in common than they thought and their friendship had strengthened right there. The two found they could count on one another for anything.

"You're not the only one," Ino laughed lightly. She sent a small glare towards Sakura.

"Sorry," she murmured.

The two blondes just glared at Sakura half-heartedly without a word. Sakura was going to say something to make them stop, but Naruto's voice cut through the air first: "Ne, why's everyone so mad at Sakura-chan?"

"They're not," Sakura said, as their glares slowly vanished.

Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but closed it once more as if deciding the topic wasn't worth fighting over. "So what's everyone up to?"

"Well we," Temari said, as she placed her arm on Sakura's shoulder and lopped the other through Ino's arm, "were about to go hang out with Hinata." Hinata looked at her in confusion as Ino used her free hand to grab her hand. She pulled the dark-haired kunoichi to her side and stole her away from her husband. "Later," Temari smirked as she raised the wrist on Sakura's shoulder and sent the Hokage a peace sign as they walked away.

Sakura glanced over her shoulder and looked at her mom while mouthing 'we'll hang out in a bit. Sorry'. Rika just shook her head, telling her not to worry about it before she walked off to a bar. The kunoichi didn't fail to notice Naruto's confused expression and Shikamaru's unsure one. They didn't seem to understand how they lost their wives in a matter of seconds.

"So," Temari broke the silence, "I got a new boyfriend. His name is Kenji and he's _so_ cute!"

"Really?" Ino asked in interest. "What does he look like?"

"He's got the most beautiful brown eyes and brown hair and the hottest six-pack," Temari said dreamily.

Ino's expression matched Temari's. Sakura took in Hinata's unsure look before she rolled her eyes. All they needed now was Tenten, who was on a mission, to boast about how much better Neji was than Temari's newest boyfriend. Honestly, they were the weirdest group of friends; they all acted like lovesick teenagers.

"So he's a shinobi?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah. He can do this jutsu to manipulate air currents. It's really cool and we actually met on a training ground. We were arguing about if the air current should be moving North or South. It was really funny now that I think about it. Gaara had to come down and break us up before a fight started and…" Sakura felt herself begin to zone out of Temari's story of her first meeting with her boyfriend.

The lights and sounds of the festival were beginning to distract her and the couples moving on the dance floor in the center of the town were beginning to mold a lump of jealousy in the bottom of her stomach. She wished so badly that could be her and her lover out there having fun, but two things were stopping her. One: she couldn't dance with her knee in the condition it was in and two: she didn't have a lover. That realization kept coming back to her more and more and a cold feeling of loneliness kept penetrating her heart. She felt like she was never going to be loved.

"Ne, Sakura, are you alright?" Ino asked.

Sakura looked over to her pale blonde friend and gave her a reassuring smile. "Yeah. Say, Temari when are we going to meet this boyfriend of yours? I need to let him know if he hurts you I'm going to break his arm with one finger."

Temari and the other girls laughed and began walking once more, not even caring where they were headed, giving Sakura the relief of forgetting about her nonexistence love life.

Almost two hours has passed since the girls had joined one another's company and after some hesitant comments they slowly broke off one at a time to go find their lovers or family. Sakura was one of the first to take off, telling them that she had left her mother alone for long enough. She found the older woman at the bar she had seen her disappear to with a half-full bottle of sake next to her while she eavesdropped on a conversation she wasn't invited in to. She was obviously trying to politely tell an old man she wasn't interested in him as he continued to hit on her.

Immediately Sakura march—or at least tried to with her knee as it was­—up to her mom and shot the man a withering look. He shrank back from her and walked away before Sakura turned to her mother. "Okaasan, how much have you had to drink?"

"Hm?" Rika asked. She tore her eyes away from the conversation and looked at her daughter in confusion. "Oh, hey hunny. What have you been up to?"

Sakura let out a relieved sigh at her mom's un-slurred speech and glanced at the women she was listening to. "Have you been here the whole time?"

Rika didn't seem to listen to Sakura's question for she side glanced at the women she was listening to before turning to Sakura. "I thought you said you weren't dating the Uchiha."

Sakura stared in confusion. "What?"

"I didn't know you and Sasuke were having sex," Rika responded calmly.

Horror struck Sakura's face and all she could do was stare at her mom with her mouth open. A hot blush tinted her cheeks and Sakura felt her heart race. "What?! No! We're not!"

She just watched her daughter with a raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything as a voice cut in: "Aneue!"

Sakura wasn't given the chance to turn around as small arms wrapped around her waist and held her tightly. The only thing she could do was glance behind her, but she knew who it was by the black hair. "Hey, Keda," she smiled.

The little girl glanced up and smiled back before she glanced over her shoulder. "I told you aneue looks beautiful tonight, otousan!"

Keda released Sakura and slowly the pink-haired kunoichi trailed her eyes up until she was looking Sasuke in the eyes. She felt her heart skip a beat at his unguarded expression and her mind began to run blank as she got lost in his gaze. It took her a long moment to realize she was starting. "Hey," she said lamely.

"Hey," he replied. His tone mirrored her's.

"This should be good."

Sakura whipped her head around at her mom's comment and she sent the woman a dark glare. Rika only shrugged innocently and took another drink of sake before she looked at Sasuke: "And who might you be?"

Sakura stared at her mom. The way she had asked the question gave Sakura the impression they had met before and they knew who one another was, but she quickly shook it off and looked at Sasuke. "Sasuke, this is my okaasan, Rika. Okaasan, this is Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke bowed slightly while Rika nodded her head in greeting. Then her eyes fell on Keda. "You must be Uchiha Keda. I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" Keda asked innocently. "Like what?"

Sakura watched Keda hop up on a stool next to Rika to listen as she listed off what she knew. Sakura was about to join them when Sasuke spoke: "How's your knee?"

"Hm?" Sakura asked. When she turned to look at him, his eyes were shining with slight worry, but it quickly vanished and she began to wonder if she had imagined it. "It's getting better. Tsunade said it should be completely healed by next week."

"That's good," Sasuke said calmly.

A comfortable silence began to settle between the two, but Sakura's attention was turned to her knee as it began throbbing. It wasn't strong, but it was enough of a pain for her to notice and want to sit down for a bit, but Sakura pushed it away and watched as lovers and friends took to dancing. They moved gracefully and fluently and she could fell her mind wonder. _'I wonder if Sasuke's a good dancer,'_ she thought. Her eyes widened at that thought and she side-glanced at Sasuke as if to see if he had read her mind, but he was looking elsewhere as if searching for something or someone. A small feeling of relief struck her when she saw this. Where had that thought come from anyways?

Sudden laughter broke her thoughts and their silence and Sakura turned to see Keda and her mother were trying to swallow their giggles. "Oo, I like you," Rika said as the sky lit up.

Immediately the music died and people ceased their dancing as fireworks of a large assortment of colors burst into the dark sky. The light claimed the eyes of everyone as they turned their faces upwards to enjoy the sight of neon reds, blues, greens, and whites. The sharp sounds echoed in the air before the light dominated and stole the attention of the on-lookers below.

Sakura side-glanced at Keda when she heard the laughter of the girl, but it was becoming harder for her to enjoy the night's grand finale as her knee began to throb more harshly. She put on a smile and tilted her head upwards as she tried to hide the unpleasant pains doing laps around her knee like a racetrack. She hardly even noticed when someone wrapped an arm around her waist and allowed her to lean most of her weight on them. She told herself to thank her mom later for saving her from the pain momentarily.

The show lasted about twenty minutes and as the last spark of red and white faded Sakura pulled her eyes back down to the ground to realize that her mom was still bracing her weight. Unhurriedly, she turned to look her in the face only to realize with a sharp jolt of shock that it wasn't her mom holding her up, it was Sasuke.

She opened her mouth to say something, but her thoughts fell away from her and silence became her mutinous betrayer. Sasuke didn't seem to notice or make any gesture to show he had as he spoke: "I thought you said your knee was fine."

Slowly Sakura took a step back from him before she replied: "I said it was getting better."

"Hn."

Sakura smiled slightly at his common reply, but her attention quickly turned away from him as Rika and Keda approached. Her mother was staring at her with a slight glint of something in her eyes, but it vanished when she bent down and hugged the small girl. "It was nice talking to you, Keda," she said with a smile, though Sakura could hear the undertone of a wheeze. It made her flinch slightly.

The little girl just smiled before she took her father's hand and turned away. Sasuke nodded his leave at the two women, but Keda glanced over her shoulder and waved. "Bye aneue, bye Rika-san!"

"Bye," Rika said with a wave of her own. Sakura copied Sasuke and nodded her good-bye.

"Ne, otousan," Sakura heard Keda say to Sasuke, "I like aneue's okaasan."

A small smile came to Sakura's face at Keda's comment, but it vanished when she saw her mom's expression; it was unnerving. "What?"

"You like Sasuke, don't you?'

Sakura gave her a confused look. "No. What would give you that idea?"

"Nothing," Rika shrugged. "Now c'mon. Let's go home; I'm tired."

Sakura watched her mom's back as she walked away and it was a moment before she followed her. She didn't like Sasuke, did she?

* * *

**(A/N: So Sakura lied to save Sasuke from his conscience! How sweet! And Sakura reminds me of House in the first part of the chapter! Haha I only realized that after I edited it! haha oh wow...**

**Oh and when I return there will be a slight SasuSaku one-shot story that I'll post!!**

**So there was a bit of SasuSaku...there will be more next chapter, but it's kind of...different. I don't know...you'll understand next chapter. **

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter enough to leave a review!! Thanks!)**


	14. Living Hell

**(A/N: Sorrysorrysorry!! I know I haven't updated in god knows how long but I'm sorry!! I went on vacation and didn't want to come back so this kept getting pushed further and further back!! I'm sorry!!**

**So just so everyone knows!! I'm also doing this 100 theme challenge thing so that will also be taking up my time. Most of the stories are going to be non massacre ItaSaku stories. _And I'll be trying to post those every other week which means one of these chapters every other week!_**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!)**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Living Hell**

"Surprise!" a chorus of voices rippled out in harmony the moment Sasuke stepped inside his home.

He stared at the birthday decorations around his home for a long moment. "What?"

"It's your birthday, teme!" Naruto yelled from the entrance of the kitchen.

Sasuke glared at him. "Yeah, I got that, dobe, Thanks."

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but Keda ran up to Sasuke with a big smile on her face. "Happy birthday, otousan!" she smiled and held up a small rectangular box wrapped in a dark blue paper with a silver bow. It was neat but it was wrapped in a strange way that gave him the impression she had done it herself.

Sasuke gently took her offered gift before he picked her up with one arm as conversation broke out between the Rookie Nine and Gai's old team. She gave him an unexpected kiss on the cheek as he made his way to the kitchen. He heard conversation ranging from missions to the academy to arguments and training. He didn't care to listen to any particular conversation, but his ears automatically picked up the sound of Naruto's voice as he told a story about someone who came in requesting help.

"Happy birthday, Sasuke-san," Tenten smiled at him.

He nodded his thanks before he made his way to the kitchen. His eyes didn't fail to miss the way Neji glared at him as if he was making a move on his girlfriend. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the Hyuuga, but didn't comment as he walked into his kitchen. He immediately caught sight of Sakura standing with her back to him and from the way her right hand moved he guessed she was writing something down.

Sasuke put Keda on the ground. "I suppose it was you who set this up?" he asked. He placed the gift on the counter and stared at her expectantly.

She didn't turn to look at him. "Me and Naruto," she answered lightly.

"I helped!" Keda smiled.

He glanced down at her and ruffled her hair before he turned back to Sakura. "Why? You know I don't like parties."

"I figured you could do with some fun and Naruto agreed," Sakura replied. She turned around and cast a smile at him.

Sasuke stared at Sakura for a moment before his gaze was sent downward to his daughter who was pulling on his arm, trying to catch his attention. "Otousan, open my present!"

Her eyes danced with happiness and excitement and he watched the way her smile lit up her face before he turned his attention to the box. He stared at it for a second as he tried to figure out where she had gotten the money to get him a present, but brushed it off as he tore off the paper and found himself looking at a jewelry box. His eyes narrowed slightly in confusion only to widen in surprise at the silver necklace her found inside.

Sasuke stared at it for a moment longer before he turned to look down at his daughter. She was staring up at him with a smile. "Do you like it, otousan?"

"Where did you…" he started. His eyes traveled to Sakura to see she was watching him. Her expression was giving nothing, but he had a sneaking suspicion that she was responsible for getting the gift. "I love it, Keda," Sasuke said, as he bent down to be at her level. "Thank you." Then he gave her a hug and kissed her forehead.

She let out a small laugh before she grabbed the box and pulled the necklace out. "Let me put it on you, otousan!"

Her cheerful expression made it impossible for him to say 'no' and obediently he turned around so she could clasp it on. Sasuke heard giggling and when he stood up he saw Sakura was laughing quietly. Keda skipped out of the room when Naruto called her name, leaving the two alone and for a second Sasuke felt himself become uncomfortable.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked not unkindly.

Sakura swallowed her giggling and coughed once before making an attempt at a straight face. "Nothing." She shrugged. "Allergies."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything as Sakura flashed him a small, almost smug, smile before she turned around and continued on whatever she was doing before. "It's you're birthday, go have fun," she said after a moment.

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but Naruto ran into the room and grabbed him arm. "Come on, teme! Everyone's waiting for you to open their gift!" Then he was forcefully dragged out of the room.

* * *

The morning had started slow for Sasuke when he first woke up. He felt lazy and tired, but he guessed that was to be expected for everything that had happened the night before. He had groggily gone downstairs and gotten a cup of coffee, which helped him back to his senses and helped him remember that Sakura had stayed the night in one of the guess bedrooms he had shown her. He still couldn't figure out why she hadn't slept in there before.

After his morning routine, he left a note for Sakura, saying that he was going to the store and if he could watch Keda for an hour for him he'd call it even with the surprise birthday party. He trusted Sakura, but he didn't expect to come home to the sight that met his eyes.

_Water!_

Water was everywhere. It littered the floor and dripped off some parts of the walls as if it had been sprayed there with something. Screaming and yelling nosily bounced around the house and he watched dumbfound as Sakura chased Keda out of the kitchen. Sasuke found himself rooted to the spot as he saw Sakura was covered in water from the waist down while Keda was soaked head-to-toe. He guessed that his daughter had pulled Sakura into the bathtub. He would know; she did it to him once and what the two females were doing now was exactly what he did to his daughter.

"I'm sorry, aneue!" Keda called. Though she didn't sound sorry at all.

Sasuke let out a small sigh before he closed the door. He watched Keda and Sakura round the corner as a scream was released from Keda and a loud crash sounded before everything fell still. Sasuke immediately ran around the corner, almost falling from the water, to see the two female ninja were lying on their backs.

He took in the puddle of water and realized they must have slipped, only coming to a halt from the assistance of the backdoor. He rolled his eyes as they burst out into loud laughter that sent tears streaming down their face.

Sasuke glared half-heartedly at Sakura. "And to think I thought you were more mature that Naruto."

"I am more mature than Naruto," Sakura said as she helped Keda stand before allowing herself to get up. "No ones less mature than him."

Sasuke snorted. "Yeah. Right."

Sakura glared half-heartedly back.

Sasuke just shook his head as he headed back to the front door to grab the bags he had placed there earlier. He tuned out the laughing and joking of Sakura and Keda as he made his way towards the kitchen to unpack the food.

"Well, I should get going," Sakura spoke upon entering the kitchen. "Naruto wanted to see me at ten this morning and it's already passed noon."

Sasuke huffed. "You sound like Kakashi."

Sakura laughed lightly in reply. "I'm supposed to be meeting him there too."

"I'll go with you," Sasuke put in casually. "I need to talk to the dobe."

"What about Keda?" the kunoichi asked. She glanced toward the stairs where Keda had disappeared to get changed.

"What about her?" Sasuke asked, not understanding. "She can come. I just need to get a file from him." He paused. "Why are you meeting Kakashi and Naruto?"

"I'm going on a mission."

Sasuke looked at her in slight surprise. He remembered how her last mission went. It ended with her in the hospital for a little under a month thanks to Orochimaru. "Are you allowed to?"

Sakura gave him a blank look. "No. My mom grounded me. She said I have to be home by six, but don't tell her that I'm going."

Sasuke glared at her and Sakura replied with a smile and a light laugh. His glare faded slightly as her eyes lit up with an unnatural light. Sasuke swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and ripped his eyes away as Keda ran down the stairs.

"When are we leaving?" she asked.

"Now," Sakura smiled as they headed for the door with Sasuke in tow.

* * *

The sun was dipping below the horizon by the time Sakura and Kakashi walked through the gates of Konoha. Long, dark shadows danced gracefully in the dying, fiery light. A small sigh of relief escaped Sakura's lips when her eyes took in the sight of her home village and though neither shinobi were injured, she was just happy to be back.

"You're turn to write the mission report," Sakura murmured to her ex-sensai.

He gave her a look as if to say 'I'm not doing it', which Sakura replied with a glare. He sighed and gave a miserable look. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow." Then he took off down another road.

Sakura was about to head down the road to her own home, but one of the guards at the gate, Izumo, ran up to her. "Sakura-san. I'm so glad I caught you in time. Tsunade-sama needs you to report to the hospital immediately," he said.

The kunoichi stared at him in defeat as she felt fatigue begin to plague her mind. "Can it wait?"

"She said it was extremely important."

Sakura watched him in confusion as she realized that it had to be serious if Tsunade wanted her there after she had gotten back from a mission. She really hoped this was important or she was going to be upset with her old teacher for a very long time.

"Okay. Thank you," Sakura said, as she walked quickly towards the hospital.

When she entered, she saw that the lobby was unusually silent and the only people there were Tsunade, Shizune, and the nurse at the front desk.

The two medic looked nervous, but the expression of sadness and desperation was more evident on Shizune's face. She sat in one of the chairs as she cradled her head in her hands. Tsunade paced restlessly back and forth, but when she saw Sakura she stopped. "Thank Kami you're here!" the ex-hokage said. "We did all we could, but she's not going to last much longer."

Sakura stared in confusion. "I'm sorry. What? Who are you talking about?"

Tsunade didn't say anything as she motioned for Sakura to follow her. She led her down the hallway quickly, but silently and stopped in front of a door. She opened it slightly and motioned for Sakura to go in, but she didn't follow.

She stared at Tsunade in confusion, but when she turned to the figure lying in the hospital bed she took in a sharp gasp. "Okaasan?"

A bolt of fear and confusion and a dozen other emotions struck Sakura as she took in the sight of her mother. She looked so vulnerable and weak it broke her heart. Her red hair was greasy and stringy and her eyes were dull and lackluster as if all the spark they once held had been ripped out of them. Her skin was too pale to be healthy and Sakura's medical persona took in the sharp, harsh breaths her mom inhaled and exhaled.

Sakura didn't know how to react. She just stared.

"Hey sweetheart," Rika said. She lifted a pale thin hand weakly and beckoned Sakura over to her.

The kunoichi stared in horror at her mom's condition and walked over to her as if in a dream. Slowly, Sakura fell to her knees next to mom's bed, completely ignoring the coldness of the floor and the chair on the other side of the room. "How?" she croaked out.

"I have lung cancer," Rika said weakly.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

Rika smiled weakly. "Because I didn't want to see you cry in my last few months." She placed a comforting hand on Sakura's. "I'm so sorry, hunny, but I'm dying."

Sakura felt like her heart was just ripped out of her chest. "No," she shook her head, causing tears to fall from her eyes. "I can save you; We can remove the cancer."

"Rika shook her head. "There's too much."

"But-."

"There's no use, Sakura. I'm dying. I can feel the life in me fading." Sakura watched tears begin to form in her mom's eyes, but something gave her the impression that it wasn't because she was dying. "I'm so sorry, baby," she murmured. "I wanted to tell you."

"Sh," Sakura whispered. "Don't talk." She didn't want to hear her mom speak in hopes of her remaining in this world if only for a few minutes longer.

"When I leave, please be happy. You need to be happy." Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but her mom continued: "And don't tell me that you are. I see the way you watch couples and want what they have." She took a few deep breaths. "I know you tell yourself 'if they're happy, then I am too', but it doesn't work like that, Sakura."

A few tears fell down Sakura's face. "Okaasan, don't-."

"Listen to me," Rika snapped not unkindly. She gave a slight squeeze to Sakura's hand. "I want you to do me a favor: I want you to be happy." She gave her daughter a small smile. "And I don't want anymore of that nonsense. Okay?"

Tears were openly falling down Sakura's face. It felt like someone had ripped her heart out of her chest and was stabbing it repeatedly. She couldn't remember the last time her heart had hurt this much and she realized it never had. "Okaasan-," she started.

"Okay?" Rika said fiercely.

Sakura's shoulder's shook with the effort of holding back her sobs, but she managed to nod. "Okay."

Rika relaxed slightly and gave her daughter a playful smile. "Besides, that Uchiha's pretty attractive."

Sakura tried to give her mom a laugh, but it came out as a harsh sob. Sakura closed her eyes and cried as Rika gave her hand another squeeze. "Don't be afraid."

Sakura stared at her mom through tear-filled eyes and pushed down a sob that tried to escape her mouth. "What am I going to do without you?"

"You'll marry that Uchiha," she joked. "I've always wanted to call you Uchiha Sakura. Has a nice ring to it."

"Okaasan!" Sakura smiled weakly.

Rika sighed lightly. "You'll get by, Sakura. I know you will; you're strong."

The pink-haired kunoichi closed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't think I can."

Rika placed her other hand on top of Sakura's and smiled. "I know you will." Then a deep sigh escaped her lips. "I think it's time for me to go."

Sakura's tears paused for a moment and she shook her head and stared wide-eyes at her mom. "No. Don't go."

"I love you," she whispered weakly.

"I love you too," Sakura replied.

"Smile for me one last time?" Rika asked. She looked at her daughter expectantly.

Sakura held her breath and forced the best smile she could onto her face. It was the most painful thing she had ever done in her life, even more painful than Sasori's sword going through her, but she held it. She was determined to fulfill her mother's last request.

A smile graced Rika's lips as she exhaled and didn't inhale again. Sakura's smile quickly faded and her eyes turned to her mother's monitor. Her blood pressure and heart rate dropped dramatically until they were both holding question marks.

"No," Sakura breathed out. "Don't go," she cried. Her heart was tearing itself apart in her chest and all she felt was pain. "Please don't go!" All of Sakura's medical training suddenly left her mind and all she could do was stare at her mom uselessly.

Her mother was dead.

Harsh sobs racked Sakura's body and she rested her head on her arms as she cried her eyes out on her mom's deathbed. Her heart felt like it stopped and her mind was a scrabbled mess of nothing and everything. Her mom had only been gone for a minute and it already felt like the world had stopped turning.

Her mother was gone and the only person she wanted to call her father had died years ago…she was an orphan.

* * *

The moment Sasuke heard Rika was in the hospital he ran. He grabbed Keda and took off towards the hospital in a sprint. His footsteps echoed unusually loud for a ninja of his status, but no one was out on the streets to notice. The sun had vanished a few minutes earlier, leaving children and civilians to retreat to their homes, but Sasuke didn't care. He made a promise to Rika that he would watch over Sakura for her and he intended to do just that.

Sasuke only slowed his fast pace when he entered the hospital. Keda was panting, but she was trying to hide it by taking long, deep breaths, while Sasuke hurried over to the nurses' station. "Where's Haruno Rika's room?"

"I'm sorry, Uchiha-san, but visiting hours are over," a nurse with blonde hair smiled.

"I asked for her room, not the fucking schedule for the fucking visiting hours," he snapped a bit too harshly.

The nurse flinched and stared at him with wide eyes before she began typing on her computer. "Room 153, sir," she said carefully.

Sasuke didn't bother to say thank you as he turned down a hallway and began searching for the room. His heart rate quickened when he found the room he was looking for. He made a move to enter, but stopped when he remembered he had Keda with him. Slowly, Sasuke turned around and knelt to be at her level. Her eyes were wide in confusion and fear and Sasuke felt guilt hit him when he realized he had cussed at the nurse right in front of her.

"I want you to stay here until I come and get you, okay?" he said gently.

Keda swallowed and nodded before she walked over to the chair next to the door and sat down. Sasuke slowly stood up and took a deep breath before he entered the room, not knowing what to expect.

The first thing he noticed was the sound of crying and when he looked around he saw Sakura was sitting against the wall with her knees drawn to her chest. Her arms were wrapped around them while she buried her face in her arms. Harsh sobs were escaping her lips, but she sounded like she was trying to force them down.

One glance at the bed told him the reason behind her crying and he quickly looked away at the sight of the dead woman before he closed the door. Slowly Sasuke approached the kunoichi and knelt down in front of her. "Sakura?" he whispered lightly.

Her sobs quieted and she looked up at him as if not realizing he was there until now. Her slightly red and swollen eyes stared at him in dull surprise as if she didn't really care if he was there or not. A small frown touched his lips as he took in her tear-stained cheeks and through the pain and tears he saw her broken heart.

Something constricted in his chest and he looked back at the kunoichi sadly. "Sasuke?" she murmured. A second of silence passed between them before Sakura launched herself at him.

Unsure of what to do, Sasuke wrapped his arms around her and held her to him as she cried on his shoulder. He didn't move for he was sure that if he did Sakura would think that he was pushing her away and that's something that wouldn't be smart at the moment.

It felt like hours had passed by the time Sakura's sobbing began to cease. "Let me walk you home," he whispered in her ear. "You just came back from a mission; you need to rest."

Sakura didn't respond, but he took it as a good sign when she tried to stifle her sobs. He pulled her to her feet and tried to pull away a little to give her some space, but Sakura's hands were gripping him tightly as if she was afraid he'd leave.

A cold feeling went through his heart at seeing her in so much pain and without thinking he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him before they walked out of the room.

Sasuke watched Keda turn and stare in worry and surprise at Sakura, but she didn't say anything to his relief. Instead, she got out of the chair she was sitting in and hugged Sakura around the waist. The kunoichi didn't say anything, but she gave Keda a one-arm hug back as if to show her gratefulness.

Quietly, the three walked down the empty hallway, none of them glancing at the nurse on the way out. Sasuke looked at Sakura to see she was doing all she could to not start crying again. He knew if Keda wasn't with them, she would be and silently he thanked his daughter for her presence. He could honestly say he was proud of her; she was acting so mature and she was silently comforting Sakura in a way that he wasn't sure Sakura even knew.

A soft breath escaped Sakura's mouth as she stopped walking. Sasuke looked up to see they had had made it to the kunoichi's house. He sensed Sakura hesitate and when he looked at her she was staring at the building uncertainly. Sasuke could tell she didn't want to be alone.

Carefully, he nudged her forward, silently offering her support as he and Keda flanked her up to the door. Sakura hesitantly let go of Sasuke, as if not sure he'd stay, but when he did Sakura grabbed her house key out of her pocket. She found the key she was looking for, but her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't get the key into the hole. Slowly, Sasuke grabbed her hands and took the keys out of her grasp. He unlocked the door and opened it and when he tried to give the keys back Sakura didn't take them as she stepped inside.

Sasuke saw Keda rub her eyes tiredly and before they stepped inside he knelt down. "We're going to spend the night here, okay?"

Keda nodded and rested her head on Sasuke's shoulder when he picked her up, They walked into the house and Sasuke took his shoes off before he entered Sakura's home any further. He closed the door behind him and walked over to the couch to place his daughter down. He took off her shoes and pulled the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch over her.

"Good night," he murmured, before he kissed her forehead.

Keda hummed a little as if trying to repeat his words, but she was already nodding off to sleep, making it hard for her to reply.

A small, almost invisible, smile ghosted over his lips, but it soon disappeared as he walked upstairs. He had no idea where Sakura took off to, but he was determined to find her.

Quietly, Sasuke opened the door to her bedroom to find her lying in her bed with her back to him. The covers were pulled up to her shoulders, but enough of her skin was exposed from him to see she was wearing a bra instead of a tank top. Her clothes were piled on the floor at the foot of her bed along with some folded pajamas; he guessed that she was too tired to put them on. She looked peaceful and he was about to back out of the room to let her sleep, but his eyes caught the rise and fall of her shoulders as she silently cried.

Sadness passed through his heart at her quiet misery and silently he climbed into the bed next to her. He pulled the covers around him before he wrapped his arm around Sakura's waist and pulled her against him. Sakura's cries subsided for a moment and it gave Sasuke a second to realize that her body fit perfectly against his. Her hips fit neatly against his and her head fit in the hollow of his shoulder perfectly. Her tone body relaxed slightly and her smooth skin warmed the parts of his body she was touching. But his mind was pulled out of that thought when Sakura began shaking once more.

Sasuke immediately began whispering comforting words in her ear, anything to make her stop crying. His hand began running through her silky, pink hair while the other held her close to him. Sasuke lost track of time, but he knew a few hours had passed by the time Sakura's sobs finally stopped. Relief rushed through him, but when he looked at the kunoichi he realized that she had fallen asleep; her body had shut itself down.

A soft sigh escaped his lips and he closed his eyes tiredly as he finally let sleep wash over him and drag him under. He hoped Sakura wouldn't be affected too long. He didn't like her like this.

* * *

Sakura sat in front of the mirror in her room. Her hair showered over her shoulders in loose curls and her make-up was done nicely. If it were any other time, she would have stared back at herself proudly and boasted at how pretty she was, but now all she did was stare back at herself blankly as Ino walked into her room. Her blonde friend looked her up and down before she gave her an unsure look: "Why aren't you dressed? You're mom's funeral is starting soon."

Sakura glanced down at herself to see she was still wearing her bra and underwear. Then she looked at her blonde friend through the mirror. "How am I supposed to decide what to wear to my mom's funeral?"

Ino gave her a sad look. "Let me help you." She walked over to Sakura's closet and disappeared for a moment only to walk out once more with a plain black dress. "Wear this," she commanded lightly, knowing if she asked what Sakura thought she wouldn't get a straight answer.

Slowly Sakura stood up and walked over to the bed where Ino was waiting. Carefully she grabbed it from her blonde friend before she put it on and turned to Ino with a forced smile. "How do I look?"

Ino frowned. "Sad."

Sakura's smiled faded quickly and she gave her friend a helpless look. "What am I supposed to do?"

Ino shook her head. "I don't know."

The pink-haired kunoichi sat on her bed and looked at herself through the mirror. "Yeah. Me either."

Her friend sat on the bed next to her and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm sorry, Sakura. You know you always have me, right?"

A ghost of a past smile drifted across her lips. "Yeah. Thanks."

They stayed silent. Sakura began pulling herself together as she prepared herself for the upcoming events about to occur. She was a kunoichi and had to be strong…who ever made that rule was an idiot and should be stabbed.

"Are you ready?" Ino asked gently.

Sakura made eye contact with her. "No." But Sakura stood up anyways and followed her best friend outside and in the general direction of the funeral's direction.

It was raining.

* * *

**(A/N: So happy really late birthday Sasuke! haha...opps...**

**Anyways, I know a lot of you were expecting Sakura's mom to die in this one and you were right!! Good job! And I told you there would kind of be some SasuSaku moments, didn't I? see they slept in the same bed!! Aww how cute...except for the fact for the reason behind them sleeping in the same bed...yeah...**

**So more than halfway done with the story!! Yay!! There are 26 chapters (counting prologue and epilogue) and this is chapter 14!! Almost there...ah...who am I kidding...I'm not even close...**

**Until next time! Thanks for reading!!)**


	15. Breaking the Shell

**(A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry for the late post, but just so everyone knows I'm taking hard classes this year and I'm also doing school volleyball so I don't know when the next time I'll be able to post is. It will not be next friday, _maybe_ the friday after that. **

**Thanks for your patience and please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!****)**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Breaking the Shell**

Sakura groaned when she felt someone crawl into bed next to her. They pulled the covers over them and curled up next to her before they poked her gently in the side. The action annoyed her and automatically she rolled away from the person and buried her face under her pillow.

"Get up," the person whispered.

Sakura sighed. "Go away."

The person poked her again. "I can't. Otousan told me to get you up, aneue."

Immediately Sakura recognized that voice. She pulled her head up from under her pillow and stared at Keda in slight surprise for a moment before she found her sleep-heavy voice: "Keda? What are you doing here?"

Keda smiled. "Otousan told me to wake you up and make you come downstairs." She then pulled on Sakura's arm, but she didn't budge. "C'mon, aneue. You've got to come."

When Sakura didn't move from her spot on the bed, Keda huffed and got off only to grab the blankets and pull them back. Sakura sent the little girl a look and tried to grab them back. "Keda don't. Give those back."

"Otousan does this to me and it makes me get up so no," Keda smirked as she pulled the covers onto the floor.

Sakura sighed and slowly she pulled herself into a sitting position. "Alright, alright. I'm up."

Keda gave her a triumphant smirk before she grabbed Sakura's hand. "Now come on. Otousan is making breakfast and if you don't hurry up my food is going to be cold."

Reluctantly Sakura got up and followed the young girl downstairs as she rubbed her eyes. "How did you get in here anyways?"

"Hospital gave us a copy of your key," Sasuke answered.

Sakura glanced at him to see his back was still to her and she gave him a confusion stare. "How does the hospital have a key to my house?"

He glanced back and shrugged. "Don't know."

Keda led Sakura over to the table and had her sit down before she ran up to her father. "Ne, otousan, how much longer? I'm hungry."

"Be patient, Keda. I'm making Sakura breakfast first," he replied as he looked down at his daughter.

"She can eat first," Sakura commented. "I'm not hungry."

Sasuke shot her a meaningful glance that she didn't understand and didn't reply.

Silence filled the kitchen as Sakura fell into herself as she had been doing a lot of lately. She missed the glances Sasuke sent her way as she stared out the backdoor absentmindedly only to come back at the sound of something landing in front of her. She turned to see Sasuke had set a plate of food down in front of her and she stared in quiet surprise at how much was on it.

"You don't expect me to eat all of this, do you?" she asked.

Sasuke gave her a level stare. "Yes."

"There's no way-."

"Just eat it," he said firmly. "You haven't been eating enough as it is."

Sakura looked away at that statement and quietly took a bite. She didn't look at Sasuke or his daughter as she ate and when she was finished she realized that Keda had taken a spot next to her to eat breakfast.

The young girl was looking down at her plate as she ate, but shyly she glanced up at Sakura with an unsure expression. "Aneue, why do I never see you anymore?"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out when she realized that she had no answer. Guilt began to fill her stomach and make it churn in a sickening way. She felt like crawling into a hole, the same feeling she had felt since she mom's funeral over a month ago, but it felt sort of different now. It felt new and raw now that she didn't have work or sleep to distract her. And now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember the last time she talked to Sasuke or Ino or even Naruto. She was making herself work two-shifts, which left her exhausted and occupied.

Sakura pierced her lips together as Sasuke called for Keda from another room. She watched the young girl get off her chair quietly and leave the room without even saying good-bye. A sharp pain of guilt and sadness went through Sakura's heart as she heard the front door open and close with a quiet click. She felt like it was mocking her.

Slowly Sakura stood and walked to the stairs. She needed a shower.

When Sakura stepped out of the bathroom she quietly went through her morning routine of getting dressed and picking up her room. She began making her bed without any thought running through her head. She had been doing this for the past month and she hardly even thought about what she was doing until she realized someone was standing in the doorway to her room.

Immediately she knew it was Sasuke by his soft presence; the one she had come to recognize when she was a teenager. She refused to look at him because she knew the look of pity she'd see on his face. Everyone in the hospital had been giving her the same look and she refused to be pitied even if her heart was broken from losing her mother and from being betrayed by Tsunade. Hadn't her ex-sensai always promised to help her?

"Sakura," Sasuke said softly, "we need to talk."

"About what?" she asked. Sakura still didn't look at him as she continued making her bed.

"About you."

Sakura plastered a fake smile on her face and looked at him in confusion. "What about me?"

He gave her a hard stare. "Cut the crap, Sakura. You've isolated yourself from everyone and you're slowly starving yourself."

Immediately her smile fell and her face became expressionless. Sakura opened her mouth, but for a few moments no words came out. "Why do you care?"

Sasuke's expression softened slightly "Rika wouldn't have wanted this. She would have wanted you to be happy Sakura. I know she would've."

She looked away and didn't respond. She knew that's what her mom wanted for her, but it was so hard. Her mother was her pillar and now she was gone her strength was wavering. She knew that her mom wanted her happy, but it was so hard. And how did Sasuke know that's what her mom wanted?

Then it hit her like a blow to the stomach.

Her eyes widened slightly in realization and slowly her eyes landed on him. "You knew," she accused. "You knew she was going to die," she spoke a little louder. "And you didn't tell me!" The surprised expression on Sasuke's face made her realized that she had guessed correctly. "You fucking bastard! You're just like Tsunade! You betrayed me; you lied to me!"

Sasuke took a step towards her. "Sakura, listen-."

"No!" she screamed. "I don't trust you! Get away from me!" she yelled when he took another step towards her.

Sasuke walked up to Sakura and grabbed her shoulders when she tried to shove him away. "Sakura, listen to me."

"No!"

She could tell he'd lost his patience by the way his eyes narrowed and his grip tightened. "Stop and listen to me, Sakura!"

Sakura sent him a harsh glare. "Shove off!"

"You're acting like a child! You're an adult. A ninja for Kami's sake! I know you've just lost your mother, but pull yourself together," he yelled back at her.

A hot flash of anger ripped through Sakura and she shoved him off her. "You're not my superior! Don't tell me what I can and can't do! You have no idea what it feels like-!"

"Feels like to what?" Sasuke interrupted. "Have your parents die? Yeah, I think I do Sakura. If you haven't noticed my parents were killed when I was fucking seven!" Sakura shut her mouth. "I had to deal with not only my mother and father being killed, but my aunt and uncle and _all_ my relatives! And you want to know the worst part? My brother did it! My brother killed every single one of them! So yeah, Sakura, I think I know what it feels like!"

Sakura crossed her arms and looked away from him so he couldn't see the tears form in her eyes. She turned her back on him and didn't reply, but she did hear the soft sigh that escaped Sasuke's lips before he took a deep breath. "Listen, Sakura. I didn't come here to yell at you. I'm sorry about not telling you, I really am, but I promised Rika I wouldn't."

Sakura continued to hold herself as her eyes began to brim with tears. She was quiet for a moment longer before she cleared her throat and swallowed. "How did you get passed it?" If he didn't come here to fight, then she wouldn't either.

The kunoichi heard Sasuke open his mouth, but he didn't speak right away. "I didn't. For years all I thought about was their deaths…and then I had Keda and I realized that it was time I forgot about my old family and focused on my new one."

Sakura gave a huff of amusement. "So you want me to get pregnant?"

Sasuke gave a soft huff of amusement. "That's not exactly what I meant…"

Quietly laughter escaped Sakura's lips, but it quickly turned into a sob as the first of many tears fell down her face. "Oh Kami," she whispered, as she covered her eyes with her hands and sank down to the floor.

She felt Sasuke wrap his arms around her and help her gently fall to the floor painlessly. He held her tightly against him as Sakura cried her eyes out at her loss. Fresh waves of grief washed over her and Sakura found herself leaning into Sasuke, searching for any kind of comfort.

She realized he always managed to be there when she cried.

* * *

"Sakura-chan," Hinata welcomed Sakura the moment she opened the door. The women hugged each other, but had some minor difficulty due to the dark-haired woman's nine-month pregnant stomach and the bags in Sakura's hands.

"I see it's almost time," Sakura said as she walked into the house, closing the door behind her.

Hinata smiled back at her as she walked over to the couch and sat down. She let out a soft sigh of relief and smiled back at the pink-haired kunoichi. "Yes. I'm just ready for it to be over. Carrying this baby around for this long is really exhausting."

Sakura laughed and set the bags down near the door before she walked over to her longtime friend and sat on the couch next to her. There was a moment of silence, but it passed quickly.

"What are the bags for?" Hinata asked curiously.

Sakura glanced at the bags near the front door. "Ino, Shikamaru, Haru, and Kakashi."

The pregnant woman stared at Sakura in confusion. "Why?"

A soft sigh escaped Sakura's lips as she continued to look at the four silver bags. "Because I missed all of their birthdays last month while I was being…" Sakura looked for the right word, "selfish."

Hinata gave her an understanding look as silence once again began to hover around them, but once more the younger girl broke it. "I always thought it was weird how Shikamaru's birthday was on the twenty-second, Ino's on the twenty-third, and Haru's on the twenty-fourth."

Sakura side glanced at her. "Yeah." She paused. "Do you suppose they did it on purpose?"

"What do you mean? Like they had sex nine months before their birthdays?" Hinata asked as she looked at the silver bags.

"Well it is Ino," Sakura commented quietly.

In unison the women glanced at each other and began laughing. Sakura didn't know why she was laughing, only that she was and it felt great. It had been so long since she had last laughed and she realized that she was laughing because she could, but it stopped abruptly when Hinata gasped and put a hand to her stomach.

"Oh," the younger girl said painfully.

Immediately Sakura felt her medic persona kick in and she reached over and felt her stomach. "What's wrong?"

A soft sigh escaped her lips and she gave Sakura a small smile. "Nothing. Baby's just deciding to practice gymnastics." She paused for a second. "I think." Then her eyes widened and she looked at Sakura with a shocked and slightly fearful expression. "I think my water just broke."

Sakura stared for a moment. "Oh shit."

Quickly she formed some hand seals and grabbed onto Hinata before she made the last one to transport them to the hospital. The moment they entered the lobby, Sakura felt Hinata's legs buckle from under her and it took all of Sakura's strength to keep her from hitting the floor.

"I need help over here!" she called. "Get me a wheelchair and a birthing room."

Immediately nurses took to action. Mai, a brown-haired nurse, ran up to Sakura and Hinata and together they helped the woman into a wheelchair. "Room 238 is open!" the blonde-haired woman at the front desk called over the sound of visiting family and friends.

Sakura nodded her reply at the woman and looked at Mai as she raced Hinata down the hall. "Get the Hokage in here!"

"Should I grab Tsunade-sama as well?" she asked.

Sakura paused as she remembered how Tsunade had lied to her, but she quickly shook it off. This wasn't about her; this was about Hinata and Naruto and their baby coming out healthily. "Yes."

Then she continued her fast pace down the hall. She was barely aware of the nurses walking beside her as she read the numbers on the rooms. When she saw the room 238 come into view her pace quickened and she ran into the room.

"Hinata, we need to get you onto the bed. Do you think you can stand for a few seconds?" Sakura asked gently.

Her eyes were closed, but at Sakura's question she opened them and nodded slightly. With the help of Sakura and another nurse, Hinata stood and was able to maneuver onto the bed into a lying position.

"Get her hooked up to that heart monitor!" Sakura called out as she began taking off the slacks Hinata was wearing.

"Tsunade and Naruto-sama are here," Mai called as Tsunade walked in behind the blonde-haired woman.

Sakura side glanced at her. "Make sure Naruto stays outside. He won't be of any help in here."

Mai nodded before she left the room once more. Tsunade came to a stand beside Sakura and purposefully she looked away, but after a moment she looked at her ex-sensai to see she was searching for some type of reassurance. The pink-haired kunoichi nodded at her and looked at the nurses around her. "Everyone be alert. We want this birth to go as smoothly as possible. Get ready Hinata."

* * *

Naruto paced back and forth outside of Hinata's birthing room. A million different emotions were racing through him, ranging from fear to excitement to nervousness to happiness. He continuously raked his hands through his hair and rubbed his face distressingly.

"Calm down, dobe. You'll wear yourself out," a voice cut in.

Naruto's deep blue eyes turned to see his teammate was walking down the hall towards him. "Sasuke," he breathed out. He was glad Sasuke was here. He had gone through this before and he needed his support for this.

"Sit down, dobe. You'll need to save your energy," the Uchiha said, as he took a seat.

Naruto continued to pace. "How can you be so calm? My wife's giving birth!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "Not my wife." Naruto glared at him. "I've already gone through this and both Toshi and Keda were fine."

Naruto let out a stressful sigh and plopped down onto one of the many chairs stationed outside of the rooms.

"Who's doing the birth?" Sasuke asked casually.

The hokage looked up at the Uchiha and gave him a strange look. "Sakura, of course."

Sasuke sent Naruto a slightly surprised look, but didn't comment. Naruto quickly shook it off as he stood up and began to pace again. Sasuke remained sitting as the Hokage ripped out his hair in anticipation, but he didn't care. All he could think about was what was happening in that room and that he was about to be a father. Him. He was about to join the ranks among Sasuke and Shikamaru. He knew he was more capable to do the job than them…right?

* * *

With a sigh of relief, Sakura walked out of the birthing room and looked around for Naruto. She was surprised to see Sasuke sitting in the hallway, watching the Hokage, but she quickly turned to Naruto who was looking like he was about to have a nervous breakdown.

"Calm down, Naruto," Sakura said in a smooth voice. He jumped out of his seat and stared at her expectantly. "Both Hinata and the baby are fine. You can go see them if you like," she said.

The hokage immediately ran for the door, but Sakura grabbed him by the collar and gave him a fierce look. "But be calm. Hinata's tired and your child needs a peaceful surrounding."

Naruto immediately relaxed and nodded at her before he once more made for the door, but at a slower pace. Sakura saw him take a deep breath before he entered the room and closed it quietly behind him.

Another sigh escaped Sakura's mouth when it closed and immediately she felt her body relax. She needed sleep. That double shift with Shizune was really starting to make her weary, but she couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips as she heard Naruto give a small surprised yelp at something inside the room. He was now a father. It still didn't cease to amaze her.

Suddenly Sakura felt light-headed and she took a step back as she tried to keep her balance and regain focus. A headache pushed to the front of her mind and she raised a hand to her forehead as a hand was placed on the small of her back. "What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura took a deep breath and looked up to see the Uchiha was looking down at her. "Nothing," she sighed. "Just a long day."

His expression relayed that he accepted her answer, but she noticed he didn't remove his hand. A small silence fell between them as Sakura continued to try to ease her headache, all the while feeling Sasuke's eyes on her.

"How are you doing?" he asked suddenly.

Sakura stilled completely and slowly looked up at him. The look he was giving her made her realize what exactly he was talking about and slowly a small smile graced her lips. "I'm fine. Thanks."

She felt his arm move from the small of her back to around her shoulder and gently he pulled her against him. Then kissed her forehead softly. Sakura felt shock race through her body, but she didn't stiffen or pull away. Instead she relaxed into him and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. He pulled away and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Thank you," Sakura whispered as she buried her face in his neck, "for everything."

* * *

**(A/N: So some SasuSaku! Is everyone excited!! Next chapter will hopefully be a little longer and thanks for your patience once again!**

**Please review, they help me a lot!)**


	16. The End of You

**(A/N: I'm really sorry about not updating for almost 2 months. I've been really into doing some other stuff so that's kind of why this chapter sucks so much. Lots happens though right? Yeah. You'll see later**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!)**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The End of You**

"Surprise!" Sakura called in harmony with everyone else.

Naruto stared at the birthday decorations around the Hokage's office for a long moment. "What?"

"It's your birthday, dobe," Sasuke smirked from the Hokage's chair as he threw back the words Naruto had said to him two and a half months ago.

Naruto seemed to remember it too for he glared at him. "Yeah, I got that, teme, Thanks."

Sakura saw Sasuke smirk as Naruto looked around at the Rookie Nine, Gai's old team, and the Sand Siblings in surprise before his eyes landed on Hinata and their infant daughter, Aika. A sincere smile fell on his face as he walked up to his wife and kissed her on the forehead before taking his child from her arms.

The noise level in the room resumed as Sakura vaguely overheard the Rokudaime speaking to Sasuke about sitting in his chair. Sakura laughed lightly when she realized that if Naruto wasn't holding Aika he'd probably be trying to kick Sasuke's ass like when they were Genin. But she didn't think on it long as she felt herself get distracted by the sound of quiet voices from Tenten and Neji.

The brown-haired kunoichi was speaking hurriedly in a hushed voice to the Hyuuga as he listened quietly. When Tenten took a breather he muttered something in her ear, causing her to smile lightly before she looked up at him and kissed him on the cheek. The kunoichi become curious, but decided not to act on it. If it was important, she was sure Tenten would tell her.

"I'm so glad your back to your old self," a familiar voice said behind Sakura.

She turned to see Ino standing behind her with her hands clasped behind her back. Sakura raised an eyebrow at her longtime friend. "I've hardly even talked to you. How do you know I'm back to my normal self?"

Ino grinned. "Because I saw you trying to eavesdrop on Tenten's conversation."

Sakura opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out because there was no response. Ino's grin widened and she opened her mouth to speak, but someone beat her to it. "Good evening, ladies."

The two kunoichi turned and stared in pleasant surprise at finding the Kazekage standing next to them. Sakura's mouth opened slightly in surprise at finding him, but she smiled at him nonetheless. "Hello, Kazekage-sama."

Gaara tilted his head slightly. "Sakura, you know I've asked you on several occasions to call me Gaara."

Her smile widened and she gave him a small nod. "Gomen, Gaara-san. I guess I could blame it on being under the Hokage's guidance for so long." Her smile faded slightly at the thought of Tsunade, but she quickly forced it back on her face.

Gaara gave her a half a smile before it faded slightly. "Could you spare a moment?"

Sakura gave Gaara a confused look before she turned to Ino. "I'll talk to you in a bit?"

The blonde nodded before she made her way towards Hinata and her newborn that was once again in her arms. When the pink-haired kunoichi turned back to the Kazekage, his arm was extended to her and with a pretty smile she accepted it and looped her arm through his.

Together they began walking towards the windows in the Hokage's office and when they stopped in front of the glass Gaara turned to her. "I'm sorry about the loss of your mother."

Sakura's cheerful smile fell slightly as she looked at Gaara in the eyes. "Yeah, me too."

His free hand came to rest atop her hand and he gave it a small squeeze. "If you ever want to talk, you're welcome to come to me."

Sakura's gaze dropped to the town below as a soft smile came to her lips. "Thank you, Gaara." Her eyes found themselves on his face. "That means a lot to me."

His grip on her hand lessened. "You've helped me with Temari in the past; it's my way of repaying you."

Sakura smiled brightly. "There's no need; Temari's a friend. I'll always be there for her."

The sound of Gaara being called distracted the two from their conversation and carefully Gaara took his arm out of her's. "Excuse me."

Sakura nodded and watched as Gaara walked off before she turned her attention back to the busy city below. The Sunday afternoon sun was shining brightly on the happy village and her eyes watched one of her mom's friends disappear into the Yamanaka Flower Shop before her emerald eyes turned to the smiling families below.

She didn't know how long she had been standing there when Tenten spoke above the sound of the partiers. "Everyone," she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear and quiet down. "I have an announcement to make."

Sakura turned and watched as she saw Tenten was standing in front of the office doors. She took a deep breath as Neji walked up to her and squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"I'm pregnant."

The room was dead silent for a few moments as it processed through everyone's mind. Sakura held her breath as she realized that was what she and Neji had been talking about earlier and a slight bit of confusion struck her as to why she didn't tell her and the other girls about it first.

"I knew it!" Ino screamed, breaking her thoughts up. "I knew you were hiding something!"

Ino's loud claim seemed to break everyone else from their thoughts and immediately the others began congratulating her. Sakura stayed back for a moment as she watched the crowd around her grow to ask her questions and, in Ino's case, when and how it had happened.

"Are you jealous?" a quiet voice asked behind her.

Sakura turned slightly and cast Sasuke a withering glance. "Jealousy is such an ignorant term."

He came to stand beside Sakura as his eyes settled on the overwhelmed, brown-haired woman a little ways in front of them. "Then why are you the only one yet to congratulate her?"

Sakura huffed. "You're standing here, aren't you?"

"I happened to have told them yesterday," Sasuke answered quietly.

Sakura's eyes immediately snapped to his and she sent him a disbelieving look. "You're lying."

"Am I?" he asked. "Think, Sakura. You've been so busy and distracted lately that you haven't had the chance to even notice the ones around you. It's obvious that Tenten's pregnant."

Sakura eyed Sasuke to try and catch any traces of a lie on his face and when she didn't she turned to Tenten and examined her carefully. She saw through the shirt she was wearing that she was indeed pregnant; she looked almost three months.

The pink-haired kunoichi gave a soft sigh before her attention turned Naruto who was talking to Neji. She watched the two talk quietly and wondered if Neji was asking Naruto what it was like to be a father. The thought was foreign to her as she realized everyone had grown up and started a family…everyone but her. For some reason that didn't bother her as much as she though it would.

"You never answered my question," Sasuke murmured quietly next to her.

"Hm?" Sakura hummed as her eyes made contact with his. "What question?"

"Are you jealous?"

Slowly, Sakura turned her eyes back to Naruto who was picking up Aika from Hinata. Her eyes then turned to Neji who had his hand wrapped protectively around Tenten's middle and then to Keda who jumped on Haru and tackled him to the ground before they fell into a playful wrestling match.

The love and happiness in the room was so overwhelming that when she turned to look at Sasuke again her expression was full of mixed-emotions. "No."

Sasuke gave her a strange expression. "I thought you wanted a family."

Sakura's eyes turned once more to Naruto and Hinata to see their child was on the verge of tears and slowly she shook her head. "Maybe once, but not anymore." She sighed. "I'm not sure what I want."

Sasuke didn't reply and silence fell over them. They watched Haru and Keda sit against the wall together after their play fight and talk. Sakura saw a soft smile ghost over the Uchiha's lips, which in turn made one fall on her own.

Unfortunately, it didn't last as Tsunade and Shizune approached them hurriedly. Shizune was biting her lip nervously as Tsunade's eyes shined. A feeling of resentment settled in Sakura's stomach as she remembered how she had kept the information of her mother's death from her. When Tsunade greeted the two of them, Sakura replied with a cold glare.

"We've found a way," Tsunade spoke to Sasuke.

Sakura stared at the two medics in confusion before she turned to Sasuke. His eyes were wide in surprise after they flashed once with confusion. He stared at Tsunade for a moment before they turned to Shizune who nodded once in confirmation. "Already?" he finally spoke.

Sakura saw Tsunade gave a curt nod. "But we have to start as soon as possible. If we don't, the curse will continue to grow and it won't be good on both our parts."

A sudden understanding fell upon Sakura when she realized that the two medics were talking about Sasuke's curse mark. Surprise struck her when she realized they had only been doing research on it for a short amount of time. Then more antipathy settled in Sakura when she finally took in the fact that Tsunade and been doing research without her.

The pink-haired kunoichi opened her mouth to voice her anger, but Sasuke was already following the two out of the office. When he had taken a few steps, he stopped and turned to look at her. "Will you watch her for me?"

Sakura stared as she fought down the feeling to say no. After all, it wasn't Sasuke she was mad at. He had done nothing but help her. "She can stay at my house," Sakura said evenly.

The Uchiha nodded before he left the room with the ex-hokage. Keda and Naruto watched him leave the room before their eyes fell on her, but she didn't turn to reassure. Instead she turned her back on them and stared out the window to try and hide her anger.

It seemed the more she saw Tsunade, the more she hated her.

* * *

Sakura sat on the chair next to Sasuke's hospital bed as Keda curled up on her father's side. Their level breathing gave Sakura a sense of calmness she'd needed for a long time and she felt herself relax into the chair she was sitting in.

Her eyes scanned the stolen file in her hands as she read the contents and details of Sasuke's 'surgery'. A suppressed anger bubbled in her stomach as she read over Tsunade's analysis of the surgery and how they had achieved the information. Anko had been part of the research team.

The process appeared to be extremely painful. They had to keep him conscious and aware of his surrounds, which they attained by calculated doses of adrenaline. In Tsunade's notes, it said they had to go in and strip the 'disease' out of every molecule in Sasuke's body. The whole process took eleven hours and forty-six minutes. The Rokudaime had been present during the operation to later report to the elders.

Sakura was about to finish reading the notes when the door swung open and Tsunade walked in, looking furious. She glanced at the sleeping Uchihas before her eyes fell on Sakura and the file in her hands.

She stared at her ex-student for a long moment before her angry expression faded. "I thought I told the nurses not to put you on this case."

Sakura's eyes hardened and her lips thinned. "They didn't and I'm not," she answered dangerously.

"Why do you have Sasuke's file?" Tsunade spoke quietly as to not wake the sleeping Uchihas.

"I wanted to know what was going on sense everyone refused to tell me," Sakura replied as she snapped the file closed and threw it at the blonde medic.

Tsunade caught it clumsily before she stared at Sakura for a long moment as she tried to understand what she was talking about. When Tsunade spoke her voice was gentle. "What do you mean?"

Sakura gave a huff of annoyance and gave her a deadly glare. "Why wasn't I told that Sasuke's surgery was live-threatening?"

"Sakura, this has nothing-," Tsunade started quietly.

Sakura shook her head. "I don't want to hear it. I'm so sick of your shit; first my mother and now this. I can't believe that I actually trusted you. You're such a fucking liar and I'm such a fucking idiot for believing you."

"Sakura, please," she took a few steps towards her ex-student only to stop when Sasuke gave a small groan.

Both medics turned their attention to the bed to see him shift a few times before his eyes cracked open. Sakura watched him stare at the ceiling for a few moments before he turned to his daughter who was still curled up against his side. Slowly he raised his hand and rested it lightly on her shoulder before he looked at Sakura and Tsunade. "What happened?" he asked with a scratchy voice.

"Your surgery was a success," the blonde woman said evenly with a smile on her face. "You should fully recover within the week."

A soft sigh escaped Sasuke lips as he fell back against the pillow. Sakura saw him close his eyes briefly before they fluttered open again to stare at his daughter. "How was she?"

"Quiet," Sakura said blankly.

She realized she must've let some of her annoyance and anger from her conversation with Tsunade slip because he quickly looked at her and gave her a questioning look. Sakura turned away swiftly and glared out the window.

Silence fall over the room and she felt more than one pair of eyes on her, but she refused to meet their gazes.

"Tousan?" a quiet murmur whispered. Sakura turned back to the bed at the quiet whisper. Keda was still curled up against her father, but she was looking up at him expectantly.

"Morning," he murmured in reply even though she knew he knew it was nearing twilight.

Keda gave him a small smile before she jumped on him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I missed you, tousan," she smiled brightly at him.

Sakura resisted the urge to smile and instead watched on with a passive expression. She smiled mentally at the duo's happiness, but it quickly faded when Tsunade walked to their bedside and began checking Sasuke's vitals.

"How do you feel?" she asked with a smile.

"A little tired."

Tsunade wrote something in the file Sakura had been reading earlier and nodded: "That's to be expected, but we'll keep an eye on you." She closed the file quietly and looked at the Uchiha. "You should get some more sleep though."

Sakura saw Sasuke nod before she turned to leave the room. That stupid, cheery smile plastered to Tsunade's face was pissing her off and she needed to get away from her old teacher.

"Aneue, where are you going?" Keda asked, bringing everyone's attention to the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura glanced back and gave a small, fake smile. "I need to grab something out of my office. I'll be right back."

Then she walked out of the room and hurried to her office to grab one of her patient's file she had accidentally left. Sakura had kept reminding herself to bring the file to the nurses' station before she went home, but things had gotten busy and she'd been in a hurry, making it slip her mind. But it didn't matter now. She was there and could get it in.

Sakura quickly walked into her office and grabbed the file before quickly striding back out again. She had to be quick. Tsunade was right that Sasuke needed rest and having his daughter there would do anything but give him rest.

She had barely left her office when she realized she wasn't alone. She side glanced at the person next to her and narrowed her eyes in annoyance when she realized it was Tsunade. "What do you want?" she snapped harshly.

"I want to know what's wrong with you. Why are you being so bitchy all of a sudden?" the blonde woman snapped.

Sakura stopped and turned to her old teacher with a cold glare. "What's wrong with _me_? What's wrong with _you_?" She crossed her arms and her eyes hardened to a cold emerald. "I do so fucking much for you and this hospital: I stay overtime, I do your work, I cover people, I get almost all of my files in on time, and you don't do shit for me."

Sakura saw Tsunade open her mouth to speak, but she continued right over her. "You didn't tell me Sasuke was going into a life-threatening surgery, you didn't let me help on the research for the curse mark, and, on top of that, you didn't even tell me my own mother was dying. Now do you know why I'm a little bitchy?"

Tsunade could only stare at Sakura for a few moments before she took a deep breath and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I know that your mother's death hit you hard Sakura, but you need to understand that-."

"No!" Sakura snapped harshly. "I don't want to understand your type of understanding because it's all shit. You're a fake and a liar and I don't want anything to do with you anymore!" Sakura took off her badge and shoved it and the file into Tsunade's arms. "I quit you, this job, and anything that connects me to you in any way. Don't _ever_ talk to me again,"

Then Sakura turned her back on Tsunade and walked away from the blonde woman.

* * *

**(A/N: Tenten's pregnant and Sakura quits her job? What will happen next. Sorry about the slight cliffy...hehe **

**Please review? Thanks!)  
**


	17. Time For Changes

**(A/N: So sorry about the over 2 month delay, but school has seriously made it so I have no life, quite literally. So yeah... **

**Um...I hope you all enjoy it! It's pretty awesome I think.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!)  
****

* * *

Chapter Sixteen  
Time For Changes**

Sakura stared at the girls around her as they all chatted. Tenten was talking to Hinata and from the snippets and bits she was hearing it was about pregnancy. It hadn't been but two or three weeks since Tenten had announced herself to be pregnant and she was more than a little nervous. They all could tell no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

But that wasn't the topic of tonight. At least it wasn't for Ino who wouldn't stop asking Sakura why she quit and what happened. All of Konoha had been talking about it and seriously Sakura could careless of what everyone thought. They could shove their comments up their ass for all she cared.

"But why did you yell at Tsunade-sama?" Ino asked again. "You two have always been close and-."

"Ino," Sakura interrupted quietly, but with a harsh edge, "it was my choice for my own reasons, so for once could you _please_ mind your own business."

Tenten and Hinata fell silent as they stared at the two long-time friends. Ino on the other hand stared at Sakura in hurt but it quickly faded and she smiled and waved it off. "Fine, it's your business, I suppose. Just leave me hanging if it bothers you that much."

A small sigh of relief escaped Sakura's lips as Ino instead turned to Hinata. "So how'd you convince Naruto to watch Aika tonight?"

Hinata smiled. "I told him he couldn't go out for boys' night for a year if he didn't."

The four girls, including Sakura, all laughed at the Rokudaime being ordered around by his wife and conversation resumed. Sakura listened as they talked about Ino's young boy and Hinata's new little girl. Ino started talking about how she hoped Tenten had a boy so when they got older Hinata and Tenten's children would date, and then Ino cornered Sakura.

"So what's up with you and Sasuke?"

Sakura stared at her. "I don't know…" she said uneasily at Ino's fierce expression. "What is up with us?"

"Aren't you two dating?" Hinata asked confused.

"What?" Sakura asked, her eyes widening. "Where did you hear that?"

Ino sighed. "Oh c'mon, Sakura, everyone's been talking about it. You're hardly ever away from Keda or Sasuke." The blonde leaned back on Hinata's couch and cast a glance at Hinata and Tenten for reassurance. "Don't tell me you two are just good friends; I see the way you look at each other."

The pink-haired kunoichi gave her best friend a hard glare. "Is it the one I'm giving you now?"

"Lighten up, Sakura," Tenten interrupted. "We're just wondering what's going on with you." She paused and peeked at Hinata before looking at Sakura with a confused expression. "We're all worried about you. You seem totally depressed, your mom just died, you disappeared for a week, and you quit your job at the hospital." She paused. "No one knows what to do, Sakura…you've become so distant…"

"…It's like we're not even your friends anymore," Ino finished quietly.

Sakura stared at them all with a guilty expression. They all looked like they had just been kicked and then left to die in the rain…and it was all her fault. If she hadn't been so selfish no one would be feeling so unwanted. The death of Rika made her isolated and cold and there was no doubt that her three best friends were feeling unnecessary.

"I'm sorry," Sakura murmured at last. Her eyes fell to the floor in shame. "Nothing has been going right lately and I feel like everything is crashing down around me."

"Sakura…" Hinata started. "It's okay-."

"No," she interrupted, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been acting the way I was." She glanced around at her friends before bowing her head. "I'm sorry."

Silence fell over the room and no one moved, unsure of what to do. Sakura felt she would cry if someone didn't do something soon and, when she thought no one would forgive her, Hinata knelt down next to her and wrapped her arms around Sakura, hugging so tightly she almost couldn't breathe.

"I missed you so much," the woman murmured.

Tenten and Ino quietly got off their seats and join the other two women on the floor. They too wrapped their arms around Sakura and held her closely. The tears she had been holding off began streaming down her face and a small sobbed racked her body. That set off the rest of them and before they knew what was happening they were lying on the floor in a huge sobbing pile.

The mental image of it made Sakura laugh and she smiled at Ino. "You look terrible."

"You're one to talk," the blonde replied.

"You're all a wreck," Tenten said.

Ino glared at her. "You are too."

They all laid on their backs and looked up at the ceiling as Tenten sighed. "Yeah, but I have the excuse of hormones."

Sakura, Ino, and Hinata glanced at the brown-haired woman before they stared laughing. Tenten grinned cheekily and laughed as they continued talking about anything and everything.

A few hours must have passed before Sakura finally sat up and told them she needed to go home.

"Can't you stay a little longer?" Tenten whined.

Sakura smiled and shook her head. "No, there's some things I need to do before the end of the day."

Ino and Tenten frowned at her, but didn't say anything else. Hinata stood and walked with Sakura to the door. Her expression was calm and a soft smile was on her face. Sakura returned her smile as she put her shoes and jacket on. "Thanks for having me over."

Hinata hugged her and when they pulled back her smile widened. "You're welcome to come here anytime."

Sakura opened the door and looked back at her friend with a meaningful expression. "I don't think I'll be needing anymore comfort." It was time she let go anyways.

Hinata nodded. "That's good."

The pink-haired kunoichi smiled at the younger woman before she turned and bounded down the front porch into the rain.

The cold droplets had her soaked within minutes, but she hardly took notice of them as she walked down Konoha's main street. It was empty due to the lateness of the day and the weather, but she didn't mind. The cool water on her skin felt nice and gave her the feeling of being refreshed.

A bolt of lightning lit up the sky and a dark shadow caught her attention. She glanced to her right to see the six hokage carvings on the side of the mountain face. Unconsciously, Sakura stopped and looked at Naruto's face.

He looked so strong and invincible in the fierce stone like he did in battle, but when she closed her eyes all she could see was his smiling face. His beautiful and kind heart was irresistible and she smiled at the memories of their genin years. All the adventures they went on would never be forgotten by her or anyone else on Team Seven.

Then Sakura's eyes were drawn to the statue next to his: Tsunade.

A flash of guilt went through Sakura's heart as she recalled her last encounter with her old mentor. The beautiful woman was more than just an ex-sensei to her; she was like a second mother and she deserved so much more respect than what Sakura had shown her a few days ago.

With a soft sigh, Sakura sat on the side of the road and looked up at the rock-face. The people on the stone were all so strong and kind and she had taken it all for granted like the selfish person she was. It was time she made up with everyone, especially Tsunade. She needed her old teacher back so badly it almost hurt.

After all, it wasn't her fault she couldn't tell Sakura about Sasuke or her mom; it was patient confidentiality. It was against Konoha's law for Tsunade to tell her.

Sakura pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her folded arms as she sighed and closed her eyes. Her hair was sticking to her face, but she hardly took notice of it even though chills were racing up her spine. The late November winds were racing through the streets and for half a second she wished Sasuke was here to use a fire jutsu to keep her warm.

At the thought of the Uchiha, Sakura opened her eyes and looked up at the dark sky. The deep blue-black night reminded her of his dark hair and when a lightning bolt lit up the sky she glanced over her shoulder to be sure it wasn't just Sasuke using his Chidori.

At that thought, a sudden acceptance came over her that she knew she couldn't deny. It was so obvious and unavoidable that she knew it was true. It was the only reason why she couldn't stay away from Sasuke or get him out of her head.

Haruno Sakura once more had feelings for Uchiha Sasuke.

A strange feeling came over her. It was so impossible to explain that it was confusing and she became mad at herself for realizing this. Everything was going to become awkward between them now and if he ever found out she was sure he would ignore her like in their genin days. A sad smile fell on her face and slowly she stood up again, not entirely sure where exactly she was going.

Her feet took her forward and, when she looked up again, she realized she was standing outside her mother's old house. Weeds were growing out of the garden and the flowers were dead and wilted and the place looked completely abandoned. A hard lump formed in her stomach when she looked at the empty place and remembered how Rika would always keep the garden looking fresh and clean and how she would keep the kitchen light on for Sakura incase she wanted to visit.

There was no light now only empty black space and an unconscious decision was made at that moment as Sakura walked into her mom's house. This is where she'd now be living, in the place she had called home until the age of sixteen.

* * *

"Naruto," Sakura said, walking into the Hokage's office without so much as a knock, "I need to talk to you about -." She stopped at seeing he wasn't the only one in room. "Oh, am I interrupting something?"

The current hokage looked at Sakura with a confused expression. "Sakura, what are you doing here?"

The other occupant in the room turned around and Sakura felt her heart stop momentarily at seeing Sasuke. Butterflies twisted her stomach uncomfortably at the thought of her realization the night before, but she tried to cover it up with a bright smile.

Sasuke's arms were crossed, but his stance was relaxed. He was wearing a thick, black sweatshirt that held the Uchiha symbol on his left arm. His expression had been annoyed, but it softened when he turned around and saw Sakura.

"I need you to change my residence address," Sakura explained, ripping her eyes away from the Uchiha.

"Are you moving?" Naruto asked confused.

Sakura walked to the couch in the office and laid down in exhaustion. "Already did," she answered, closing her eyes.

"What? When?" they said in unison.

The kunoichi sighed as the couch shaped to her body comfortably. "This morning," she replied sleepily.

Sakura didn't have to look at her ex-teammates to know they were sharing a glance and she heard some shuffling before part of the couch dip under the weight of one of the boys; from the chakra she knew it was Naruto. "Sakura," he said slowly, "when you say 'this morning' do you mean-?"

"Nine o'clock last night to four this morning, yes," she answered sleepily.

There was a pause.

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

She opened her eyes to see Naruto was looking at her worriedly before she glanced at Sasuke. He was standing next to the couch with a mirrored expression to his best friend's. "I was feeling motivated," she replied closing her eyes.

"Where did you move?" Naruto asked slowly as if fearing the answer.

"My mom's house."

A pregnant silence fell over the office and Sakura opened her eyes in time to see Naruto and Sasuke were sharing a concerned gaze. With a soft sigh, Sakura sat up and grabbed Naruto's hand. She smiled at Sasuke and patted the seat next to her, inviting him to sit. The Uchiha gave her a level look before he also sat next to her.

Hesitantly Sakura grabbed his hand and looked down at her crossed legs for a long while. When she finally looked up her expression was apologetic. "I'm sorry about the past couple of months. I was so selfish and I am sorry for the trouble I caused you both."

"Sakura…" Naruto started.

"No," she said softly, patting his hand. She closed her eyes momentarily and shook her head. "This isn't your fault, Naruto." Then she looked at Sasuke. "You've been so helpful to me lately and I am so very grateful. Thank you for everything" – she glanced back at Naruto – "both of you."

There was a moment of silence before Naruto pulled his hand out of Sakura's grasp and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I missed you so much," he said seriously.

Sakura hugged him back. "I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that," Sasuke murmured, also pulling his hand free to put in on her lower back. "It's getting annoying."

Sakura heart jumped and she tensed slightly at the feel of his hand on her back, but gradually she let herself relax into the warmth.

They stayed in each other's presence in silence for a short while, enjoying one another's company, as Sakura realized she hadn't felt this happy in a long time and she wanted nothing more than for it to never end. She hated that world of hurt she had been stuck in for so long and was glad to be out of it.

"What were you two talking about before I came in?" she finally asked.

Naruto pulled back slightly and looked down at her. "I was giving Sasuke his mission."

Sakura turned to the Uchiha. "A mission already?" she asked. "What does" – she had to brace herself – "Tsunade-sama think about it?"

Sasuke purposely ignored her hesitation. "She thinks it's too early for me to be doing missions again, but Naruto talked her out of it."

"When's the mission?" Sakura asked.

Naruto cleared his throat. "A week before Christmas."

Sakura looked from the hokage to the Uchiha before looking back at Naruto. "But that's in like three weeks."

The blonde nodded slightly. "I know, but Sasuke's one of the only ninja capable of completing it. The rest are all out on missions already and will be coming back the day he needs to leave."

"What's the mission?" Sakura asked.

There was a small pause. "There's an old Sound base just outside of Fire country we need checked out. It's a simple scouting mission, but just in case the base isn't empty I need a shinobi who's stealthy and strong."

"I'll go," Sakura murmured.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at her. "What?" the blonde asked.

"I'll go for Sasuke."

Naruto's expression became confused. "Why?"

Sakura sighed lightly as she rested her head in her hand and looked out the window. "Because, if I'm calculating correctly, this mission could very well last until Christmas and Keda would be extremely upset if Sasuke wasn't there with her." She turned to Naruto and smile. "Plus, I could do with a mission. I've been lagging behind and haven't gone on any in a while."

"But…" Naruto started. "Are you sure, Sakura?"

She smiled. "Oh yeah. I could do with some violence and action," Sakura laughed playfully.

Naruto smiled in return before he turned to Sasuke. "What do you think, teme?"

Sasuke hesitated. "I…it's her choice."

"All right then, it's settled," Sakura smiled. "Now, could we get my address changed?"

Naruto stood and offered Sakura his hand. "Yes, but first," he said, pulling the kunoichi up, "I have to give you a long overdue hug."

The moment she was on her feet Naruto pulled her into the tightest hug she had ever been in. She didn't try and pull away though because she knew he too had suffered pain in her isolation like Hinata, Tenten, and Ino and he deserved to give her as many hugs as he wanted.

"I'm sorry," Sakura murmured, hugging him back.

The Hokage pulled back and smiled. "Don't ever do that again!"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" she replied with a serious face.

Naruto sweatdropped. "And don't ever say that again!"

"So many orders…" Sakura smiled.

They laughed as the two of them started towards the record hall, but Sakura stopped when she realized they were missing someone. "Are you coming, Sasuke?"

He stared at her for a second as if measuring her up and nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

**(A/N: This chapter was a little short and I honestly have no idea when the next ones going to be out because it's fairly long so please don't pressure me because it'll be bad if you do!!  
So yeah, hope you enjoyed. **

**I think this chapter was a bit revealing and I hope you guys liked Sakura finally admitting her feelings!!  
Thanks for reading! Until next time.**

**Oh and your reviews are greatly appreciated! The reviews I just recieved in the past week really helped me so I'd like to thank those four people who did: **

**~ narutofan96sasuke  
~ r i a n e xx-  
~ Tiger Priestess  
~**** FallTiger and Foxkilth**

**Much love!)**


	18. Hesitate

**(A/N: SORRY! I didn't mean to be gone for like 2 and a half months, but I was stuck on this story and I had no idea what to do with it. It was really hard because I knew you were all waiting for me and the reviews were wonderful! Thank you all so much! I hope you like this chapter! It's fairly longer then the rest so hopefully that compensates for my absence. Thank you!**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter does contain hints of yaoi. (It's not descriptive, but it is very much implied. Please don't get on my case about it and that's the reason I changed the rating.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and other characters!!)

* * *

**

**Chapter Seventeen  
Hesitate**

Sakura huddled further into her jacket as a cold wind blew through Konoha's main street and she looked down at Keda to see she had let go of her father's hand to do the same. The girl's cheeks were tinted pink at the biting cold and she looked like she would rather be at home curled up in bed than out in the freezing weather, but she didn't complain.

"Sakura, can you watch Keda for a second?" Sasuke asked as they passed one of the main stores on the market street.

She looked up at him and nodded with a smile. "Yeah, sure."

The Uchiha immediately disappeared, leaving the two females together. Sakura looked down at the freezing child and smiled. "I'm freezing; want to get some hot chocolate?"

Keda looked up at Sakura and measured her before she nodded. "Yeah!"

Sakura smiled as she took Keda's hand and led her to a small restaurant she knew sold the hot beverage year-around. They took a seat inside the cozy restaurant and as they waited for Sasuke Sakura turned to Keda. "What did you ask Santa for this year?"

Keda gave her a strange look. "I'm six, aneue. I hardly believe in some false man named Santa Claus who brings good children presents."

Three cups of hot chocolate landed on the table in front of the girls as someone took a seat next to Sakura. "Well that's too bad. He told me he was going to bring you a new set of shuriken, hand-crafted, because you were so good, but I guess if you don't believe in him I'll just have to tell him to give them to someone else…"

Sakura felt heat flush to her face when she felt Sasuke sit close enough to her to where she could feel his body heat radiating off of him. Silently she prayed to Kami that he thought it was only the cold. Though she doubted he even notice, thankfully, as she realized he was watching Keda's reaction.

The young girl stared at her father with wide eyes. "Oh, otousan, please tell him I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Sasuke smiled lightly at her reaction while Sakura smacked him under the table and murmured in his ear, "Don't be so mean."

The Uchiha smirked at her in response before he took a drink of his hot chocolate. Sakura gave him a friendly glare as Keda drank her own hot chocolate slowly, processing what her father had said. Sakura sighed softly and she too took a drink, reveling in the warmth it brought her.

She had barely taken a sip when Keda slammed her glass down and jumped up. Both Sasuke and Sakura looked up startled as she ran over to Haru and Shikamaru who just walked in. The youngest Nara jumped in surprise as Keda tackled him into a hug, but he returned it eventually when he realized who it was.

"Sakura, Sasuke," Shikamaru greeted them as Keda dragged Haru to their table.

"Hey Shikamaru," Sakura greeted him. Sasuke nodded.

"Otousan, can Keda spend the night at our house tonight?" Haru asked, looking up at his father with Ino's blue eyes.

Shikamaru sighed. "Ask Uchiha-san."

The two children looked at Sasuke with bright, hopeful eyes and he glanced at Shikamaru for confirmation before he nodded. "Alright. But I want you home tomorrow morning."

Keda smiled. "Thank you, Otousan!"

The three started to leave, but at the last minute, Keda ran back and kissed her father on the cheek. She started to leave again, but run back and took a large gulp of her drink before running back to her friend.

When they left, Sakura glanced at Sasuke and laughed lightly at his expression before she took another drink.

Silence fell between them as they drank their hot chocolate and Sakura distracted herself from their close proximity by watching the many families out shopping in the lightly falling snow. Children were dancing around the street, chasing each other, throwing snowballs, and overall having a good time, while parents watched in amusement. Couples walked around, holding hands, enjoying each other's company while they pulled one another into shops.

Happiness radiated from the village and it caused Sakura to smile lightly at their delight. It seemed like the holidays brought out all the joy in everything.

"Are you ready?"

Sakura turned to Sasuke to see he had finished his drink and was waiting for her and when the kunoichi glanced down at her cup she realized she had finished too. "Yeah," she smiled, pushing her chair back to stand.

She pulled some money out of her pocket to pay for her drink, but Sasuke beat her to it and set enough out for all three. Sakura glanced at him and got ready to argue that she could pay for her own, but the Uchiha was already heading for the exit, giving her no choice but to follow.

When the two ex-teammates walked outside, Sakura pulled her gloves on and tugged her coat tighter around her body at the sudden temperature change. A chill raced up her spine when a sudden wind blew through Konoha's main street and, out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sasuke too pull his jacket around his body before he took off down the street. Sakura followed and ran a little to catch up to his larger strides as she looked around at the shops to do some of her own Christmas shopping.

Her steps faltered slightly when she saw sitting in the window of a jewelry store the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. Attached to a shining, silver chain was a silver band wrapped around a triangular shaped emerald like a vine. It was so unique and beautiful Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of it even as she walked by the store.

"You don't have to go on that mission, Sakura," Sasuke's voice suddenly cut in.

Sakura tore her eyes away from the glass to see he had a troubled expression. The kunoichi glanced back at the store once more before she turned back to her long-time friend and sighed. "Stop trying to convince me, Sasuke. It's fine." She sighed slightly as she shoved her hands further in her pockets and looked up at the sky. "You need to stay for Keda. If I miss Christmas…" – she turned to look at the shops on her right – "no one will miss me."

"Sakura…" he said softly.

She stopped at a fork in the road and turned on him, looking at him in the eyes. "Sasuke, just don't," she sighed. "Listen, I need to go pack. I'll see you when I get home."

Slowly Sakura turned and headed down the road towards her mom's house, glancing over her shoulder with a convincing smile. "Merry Christmas, Sasuke."

* * *

Snow crunched under Sakura's boots as she walked through the red gates of Konoha. Her ragged breath turned a white mist in the cold night air and it hitched every once other breath from her wound. Her hand covered a gash on her stomach as a thin layer of blood seeped through the seam of her fingers.

Quiet settled in the streets of Konoha as Sakura dragged herself through the sleeping village while snow lightly fell from the dark sky. A rough cough scraped her throat as the kunoichi entered the hospital.

Different Christmas decorations adorned the walls and desks, ranging from strands of red and silver wrapped around lamps and framing counters to ornaments hanging from the ceiling. The hospital still looked like a hospital, but more warm and welcoming than other months. It gave Sakura a sense of security.

Arata, a brown-haired nurse, immediately looked up at the sound of Sakura's entrance and quickly jumped up at seeing the injured shinobi. She stood up to help her, but stopped when she saw the full extent of Sakura's injuries and picked up the phone. "A patient just walked in with a stomach wound I need you to heal," she said into the mouthpiece.

The person at the other end, Sakura guessed to be the head medic on this shift, said something in reply before Arata hung up and rushed to Sakura's side. "Please, come with me," she said, wrapping a hand around Sakura's waist in case she fell. The nurse led Sakura to a hospital room and helped her lie down in the bed while they waited for the head medic to come in.

Arata began going over the routine procedure of checking her pulse and blood pressure, but stopped when there was a knock at the door. She ran to answer it and spoke quietly to the doctor on the other side before she nodded and took off down the hall.

Sakura sat up as the door opened and someone so painfully familiar walked in with the grace of the shinobi she was.

Tsunade.

Immediately Sakura stood up against the pain and stared at her old mentor in guilt. Slowly, she dropped to her hands and knees and bowed down in front of the blonde woman, her head on her hands. "I am so sorry," Sakura murmured. "I…I was wrong. I was so terribly wrong. Please forgive me."

A hand was placed on Sakura's shoulder and gently Tsunade pulled the kunoichi to her feet. She looked at the ground in shame and fear of not being forgiven, but instead Tsunade threw a file on the counter and pulled Sakura into a tight hug that took the breath from her.

"I don't care about your apology. I'm just so relieved you aren't mad at me," the blonde woman murmured. Tears formed on the edge of Sakura's eyes and silently fell down her cheeks in streams of happiness. A small sob escaped her mouth and slowly Tsunade pulled back, showing Sakura her own tears.

The two women stared at one another for a moment before a sharp pain raced through Sakura's stomach, causing her to gasp and clutch at her wound. Immediately Tsunade snapped out of their shared daze and helped Sakura lie down on the bed before she striped the kunoichi out of all her armor from the waist up, excluding her chest bindings.

Quickly she put her hands over Sakura's stomach wound and began healing the damage as someone burst through the door. Sakura couldn't see who it was, but didn't really care as she tried to swallow the moans of pain that threatened to escape. She snapped her eyes shut and concentrated on keeping the pain at bay as someone in the room spoke: "Baa-chan, what's going on?" That was Naruto.

"She has a deep stomach wound," Tsunade said calmly. "To be honest, I'm surprised she even made back to Konoha without collapsing."

"That's not very reassuring," Naruto snapped.

Tsunade's chakra flooded Sakura's system and began to numb the pain as she stitched the torn muscle back together. The relief of it caused Sakura to sigh and relax into the bed, her eyes still closed. "Sakura-chan, what happened?" Naruto asked.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she recalled the mission. "That base wasn't as empty as you thought it was."

"What do you mean?" That was Sasuke.

"There were thirty Sound ninja inside. I snuck around to try and figure out what they were doing there, but one saw me and it turned into a fight." She sighed as Tsunade continued to work. "I took them all out, but I got careless and one of them hit me." Sakura sighed and sat back against the hospital pillow. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I know you trusted me with this mission and I-."

"It's alright, Sakura-chan," her old friend interrupted. "You did all you could. You should focus on getting better."

She glanced down before she closed her eyes in defeat. Silence filled the room for a long time and when someone walked into the room, Sakura immediately heard it. She opened her eyes and turned her sights to the door to see Sasuke was standing in the doorway. His expression was carefully blank, but she could see the worry in the dark depths of his eyes. Naruto too glanced in his direction and nodded in greeting, but Sasuke was still watching Sakura. She smiled in reassurance as Tsunade finished healing her.

"All done," the ex-Hokage said. Sakura moved to sit up, but the blonde woman pushed her back down. "Nice try. I want you to stay overnight, Sakura. It was a nasty cut and I don't need you reopening it."

Sakura's glare was half-hearted. "I'm a medic too."

"And completely drained of chakra," Tsunade countered.

The pink-haired kunoichi opened her mouth to retort, but knew it would be pointless and closed it. She sat back against the bed and continued to glare at her old mentor half-heartedly. Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her and slowly Sakura's glare faded into a small smile. Tsunade returned it with a wink before she grabbed Sakura's file and pushed passed Sasuke and walked out of the room.

"Get some rest, Sakura," Naruto murmured.

"Is everyone a medic now?" she asked playfully.

Naruto smiled and rolled his eyes in response before he too exited the room, leaving Sasuke and Sakura alone. An awkward silence began to fall over them as Sasuke slowly approached Sakura's bed. It took her a second to remember Tsunade had striped her out of everything but her chest bindings and as casually as possible she pulled the covers up to keep herself modest.

It took her a second to realize Sasuke had looked away and a small blush formed on her cheeks, but she quickly pushed it down. She was a shinobi, god damnit. It's time she started acting like one again.

"Do you want to sit?" Sakura asked, nodding at the chair next to her bed.

Sasuke shook his head once before he walked to the side of her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Sakura replied quietly. She could feel the pin-pricks of weariness behind her eyes, but she pushed them back and kept herself focused. She wanted to hear what Sasuke had to say. After all, she doubted he came here for any other reason than to tell her something.

Right?

"You should rest," Sasuke said.

Sakura nodded slightly. "Yeah."

"Why don't you sleep; I'll come see you in the morning."

A small stab of disappointment – with what she was disappointed about she wasn't sure – hit Sakura but she nodded slightly. "Okay."

To Sakura's great pleasure and surprise, Sasuke leaned down and kissed her cheek lightly. Immediately she felt her face heat up, but she pushed the blush down and smiled. She watched as the Uchiha turned to leave, but he only got halfway before he turned around again.

"We're having a small Christmas party at Naruto's house tomorrow. Did you want to go?"

Sakura smile widened and she nodded. "Sure. If I can get Tsunade to let me out tomorrow."

Sasuke tilted his head slightly. "I'll come get you then."

The kunoichi felt her heart warm at the thought of Sasuke asking her to join him and Keda tomorrow and she felt like an idiot with how big she was smiling, but she didn't care. "Okay."

Sasuke gave a small smile – it looked more like a smirk than anything – in reply before he headed towards the door again. He paused in the doorway and glanced back at her. "Get some sleep, Sakura. You're going to need it."

Sakura rolled her eyes in response. Sasuke snorted softly at her childish reply before he walked out of her hospital room, closing the door behind him quietly. Slowly Sakura closed her eyes and it wasn't long before she felt herself fall into a calm place of nothingness.

* * *

"How are you feeling this morning, Sakura?"

Groggily Sakura opened her eyes to find a blurred Tsunade standing next to her bed. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and carefully pushed herself into a sitting position, groaning softly as she did so at the soreness that pulled at her stomach. "Better. What time is it?"

Tsunade glanced at the clock on the wall before she returned to checking Sakura's vitals. "It's almost ten."

"Seriously? Why didn't you wake me up?" Sakura whined.

Tsunade sent her a look. "You know exactly why I didn't wake you up. Anyways, your stomach looks good and you should be released by noon." The blonde woman paused. "You wouldn't happen to be in favor of doing your release forms, would you?"

Sakura snorted and shook her head. She ignored the soreness that her stomach suddenly decided needed attention and focused on Tsunade. "Not really."

"Damn," she murmured. "Didn't think so." She sighed. "Anyways, Sasuke and Keda are here. Though she won't admit it, Keda's been dying to see you. Do you want me to send them in?"

Sakura nodded before Tsunade turned and left the room.

Sakura's smile slowly faded and she took a deep breath. _'All right, Sakura. Stay calm. I don't want Sasuke to know that I have a crush on him yet…or ever…do I?'_

The sound of the door opening brought Sakura out of her thoughts and she glanced over to find Sasuke standing in the doorway in all his glory. His black shirt clung loosely to his body, showing off not too much, but enough for Sakura to take notice and his bang framed his eyes perfectly that made her heart melt.

'_Oh crap.'_

"Merry Christmas, aneue. I missed you."

Sakura kept her lips firmly sealed as her stomach once more screamed for attention as Keda jumped onto her bed. She smiled through the pain, but her eyes watered slightly, something she knew Sasuke caught and hugged the small Uchiha girl in return.

"Merry Christmas and I missed you too, Keda-chan."

Keda moved to sit criss-cross on her bed and she stared at Sakura with mild curiosity in her gaze. "Ne, aneue, are you going to uncle Naruto's party with us?"

Sakura smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't miss Christmas for anything."

Sasuke shifted in the corner of Sakura's gaze and she knew immediately that he was thinking about what she had said before she'd left on her mission. Sakura would miss Christmas if it meant someone else got to stay home with the family she didn't have.

"I get to give you my present after all!" Keda smiled.

Sakura's expression turned confused. "What present?"

Keda's smile widened. "You'll see at the party."

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but the door to her hospital room opened. The three members in the room turned to the door to see Tsunade walk in with a few papers in hand. "Change of plans, Sakura."

The pink-haired kunoichi stared in confusion.

"You're released now."

Sakura knitted her eyebrows together. "How did you get that done so quickly?"

Tsunade's grin was wicked. "We got this new nurse last week and I had her do it."

Sakura laughed even though it caused her stomach pain. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

Tsunade sweatdropped. "Go get changed, Sakura." She held out to her a pile of clothes Sakura hadn't noticed before. "You know where the bathroom is, hopefully."

The pink-haired kunoichi raised an eyebrow at her ex-sensei's tactic, but didn't say anything as she pushed the hospital blankets back and made to stand. Keda immediately got off the bed to give her more room. Out of the corner of her eyes, Sakura saw Sasuke stepped forward to help her stand. He placed a hand on her back and offered his hand, which she gladly accepted, before he helped pull her to her feet. "Thanks," Sakura smiled before Sasuke dropped his hold on her. She almost opened her mouth to voice her disappointment, but she quickly caught herself and took the clothes Tsunade was offering her instead before she walked into the bathroom.

After Sakura finished dressing, she walked into the hospital room to find Tsunade was no longer present and Sasuke and Keda were waiting for her. Sasuke stood from the chair he was sitting in and Keda hopped off the bed.

"Ready?" Sakura asked, holding her hand out to Keda.

With a bright smile, the younger Uchiha took her hand and together they exited the hospital. When Sakura stepped out of the hospital doors, she was meant with a cold, winter wind. She shivered slightly against the breeze and tried to pull the thin coat Tsunade gave her closer around her body, but only having one arm to help stay warm didn't work very well.

A sudden weight landed on her shoulders and Sakura quickly glanced at Sasuke to see he had given her his jacket. She noticed he was just wearing a long sleeve shirt, but it didn't look very thick. He must be cold.

"But what about-."

"I'm fine, Sakura," Sasuke interrupted.

She opened her mouth to argue, but knew it was pointless and she paused. "Thank you."

He nodded in reply before the three of them headed in the direction of Sakura's home. It didn't take too long for them to reach her mom's old house and when Sakura opened the door she ushered Keda inside. "C'mon. Some hot chocolate will warm you up."

Keda nodded and took of her shoes before she raced into the kitchen. Sakura left the door open for Sasuke, but paused when he didn't enter. She stopped and glanced back at him with a confused expression. "Are you coming?"

He shook his head slightly. "I need to run and get something."

She paused. "Oh."

"I'll get you and Keda for the party," he said, taking a few steps away from her door.

Sakura nodded and watched as he started to walk away, but remembered something at the last moment. "Sasuke," she called, running down porch steps and onto the snow covered ground.

He paused and looked back at her. The kunoichi waited until she was in front of him before she took off his jacket and held it out for him. "Don't want you getting sick."

Sasuke stared at her for a moment before he took back his jacket. Sakura smile in thanks and raced back to her house, desperately wanting out of the cold. She turned and waved to him before she closed the door and walked into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate for Keda.

* * *

To say Sakura had dressed up for the Christmas Party would be a huge understatement. She had stuck with a pair of slacks and a black thermal, both of which fit very comfortably. Sakura found some of her mom's old jewelry and had almost cried when she found the wedding ring her step-father had given her mom. Keda's presence had been the only thing to keep her emotions in check and she had placed the ring on her right ring finger before she gathered up all her presents for her friends.

It wasn't long before she heard a knock on the door and she walked into the room in time to see Keda answer the door. Sasuke looked down at his daughter in surprise at finding her answer the door, but picked her up and hugged her anyways. "Are you ready to go?" Sasuke asked Sakura.

Sakura picked up her Christmas bags and nodded. "Yep."

Sasuke turned at her answer and walked outside as Sakura carefully locked her door. When she finished she turned around and smiled before she followed the two Uchihas out into the darkening afternoon.

Almost everyone was at the party by the time the three arrived. Sakura was immediately greeted by Ino and the blonde woman quickly began dragging her away from Sasuke to help her put the presents under the tree. She barely got the chance to throw Sasuke an apologetic look before Ino firmly yanked her around the corner.

"I knew you were going out with Sasuke," Ino said with a bright smile.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at her. "No, I'm not."

Ino rolled her eyes as she helped the pink-haired woman place the presents under the tree. "Yeah, right. I mean, you came here with him."

"Keda was at my house," Sakura defended.

Ino sighed. "Whatever. Anyways, where have you been? I haven't seen you in like a week."

Sakura stood up when she'd placed the last present down and glanced around the excited room. "I've been on a mission."

"No wonder no one's seen you…" Ino murmured.

Sakura caught the way she trailed off and quickly glanced at her to try and catch her hidden meaning. Something about the way her eyes flashed with worry made her realize that Ino had thought she'd fallen back into her depressed state. She probably thought Sakura had isolated herself again and had disappeared to be left alone this time and if Ino thought that then Sakura was absolutely sure that her other friends suspected the same thing. "What did you tell everyone?" Sakura asked slowly.

Ino's smile was too cheerful. "About what?"

The expression she sent her blonde friend said she knew exactly what she was talking about and Ino let out a long sigh before she flashed an unconvincing apologetic look. "Just that you were feeling your mother's loss again."

"Ino!" Sakura groaned. "Now everyone thinks I'm depressed again." She sent her friend a deep glare. "You better spread the news that I was on a mission."

Ino started to walk away. "Already on it!"

Sakura stood still for a long moment, glaring at the retreating back of her best friend before she shook it off and walked over to Hinata who was holding her child to her as she spoke with Neji. At her approach, the two immediately stopped their conversation and watched her with an expression of worry. Sakura knew exactly why they were looking at her like that.

"I was on a mission," was her reply.

Hinata left out a small sigh of relief before she smiled. "We were wondering where you went. Naruto-kun didn't tell me you were leaving."

"He has been busy lately," Sakura murmured.

Neji nodded in agreement. "With the new Anbu recruits coming in, he's been reading all their files and evaluating them."

Sakura furrowed her brows together. "I thought the head Anbu captain did that."

Neji shook his head once. "The captain weeds through them and gives the Hokage the finalists."

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded. "That makes sense."

Neji glanced past Sakura shoulder before he returned his attention to his younger cousin. "Excuse me. I have to see to Tenten."

Hinata smiled and nodded before Neji nodded good-bye to Sakura and walked away. The two females fell silent and it wasn't long before Aika began crying. Immediately Hinata began cooing at the infant in her arms as she tried to quiet her down and tentatively Sakura reached out. "May I?" she asked.

Hinata looked at Sakura with a slightly surprised expression, but carefully she handed her child over to her long-time friend. Almost instantly Aika quieted down and fell back asleep. Sakura smiled slightly at her peaceful expression and when she glanced up at Hinata the dark-haired woman was staring at her in surprise. She opened her mouth to say something, but Naruto called her from the kitchen. The Hokage's wife glanced in the direction of his voice before she excused herself and left Sakura with her baby.

Slowly Sakura walked over to the couch and sat down as the infant Uzumaki child slept peacefully. Just looking at her face made it feel like all the recent stress and sadness in Sakura's life seem so insignificant and unimportant. Everything that had happened was in the past and there was nothing she could do to change it so why feel guilty or sad by it?

With a small, content smile Sakura sat back against the couch and watched her friends around her exchange greetings and gifts while they laughed and smiled with one another. The holidays definitely brought out the best in people and made the anxiety fade.

* * *

"Oh c'mon, you so know that's not true," Sakura argued vehemently. Sasuke smirked as they continued their friendly banter and he kept silent as he waited for Sakura to continue. "I only slept with Naruto once and that was years ago. Besides," she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "it's not like I was the only one."

Sasuke's smirk vanished. "Where did you hear that?"

Sakura made a small 'o' with her mouth at his response. "So it's true?"

Immediately the Uchiha began back peddling. "No. I'm just curious as to where you heard such a ridiculous idea."

The expression on Sakura's face didn't fade and Sasuke felt himself begin to panic. Where did Sakura learn Naruto and him had sex? It was years ago; long before Naruto and Hinata got married. They were only seventeen and curious, nothing more. It didn't even turn out to be anything in the end anyways. Just one night of sex; that's it.

"Did you top?" Sakura asked with an amused smirk on her face.

Sasuke glared, but didn't reply.

"Fine. I'll ask Naruto."

Sakura was on her feet in an instant, heading in the direction of the main room; the room where everyone currently was. It wasn't long before Sasuke jumped to his feet and began chasing after the pink-haired woman. No matter what, he had to be sure Sakura kept her mouth shut and didn't tell everyone about his one-night stand years ago. He'd never hear the end of it and it wouldn't be very good for the Hokage.

"Naruto!" Sakura called.

"Sakura," Sasuke said. He grabbed her wrist and stopped her in the doorframe that separated the kitchen from the main room.

Everyone stopped talking and turned to regard the two. An awkward silence began to fill the air as Sasuke continued to hold Sakura in place from her wrist. It took him a second, but when Sasuke saw the strange grin on Ino's face he began to panic internally. Something was seriously wrong.

"Tousan," Keda giggled.

Sasuke and Sakura turned to the young child. She was kneeling on the couch and watching with a mirthful smile while she tried to swallow her giggles. A few whispers broke out and Naruto snickered slightly when Keda pointed above their heads. Confused, Sasuke turned his gaze upwards and paled.

_Mistletoe._

Sasuke swallowed and slowly turned his gaze to Sakura to see she was staring at him with an unsure expression. All thoughts of their previous actions disappeared from his mind and he watched as Sakura pulled away slightly. She was scared. The look in her eyes told him she was, though of what he wasn't sure. Was she scared of kissing him in front of everyone or afraid he might reject her like he had so many times in the past?

They had to kiss, didn't they? It was tradition.

Uncertainly, Sasuke took a step towards her and bent his head slightly. He moved to kiss her, but stopped, unsure if she wanted to. When she didn't pull back Sasuke moved a little closer and stopped again to see if she would reject him, but he watched as her eyes slowly closed instead.

Carefully Sasuke pressed his lips against Sakura's in a gentle, but firm lip lock.

The moment their lips touched a shock went through him. Her lips were so silky smooth and the gentle softness of them was unexpected, but not unwelcome by any means and greedily he drunk in the feeling of the kiss. Something about the way her lips felt against his felt so right and he didn't know why. Sasuke couldn't remember a kiss feeling so perfect, including his wedding kiss with Toshi; for some reason that scared him. This was his ex-teammate not his girlfriend, but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew his feelings for Sakura were stronger than just a partner's.

This simple kiss had triggered something in him and it confused him. He didn't remember feeling this way for Sakura before. He had a good relationship with her and he knew he would do anything for her, but did he want to take it to the next level? Would he really be willing to risk their friendship by asking her to be his girlfriend? He realized he wouldn't. If he rejected him and things got awkward between them he'd never forgive himself. She was too important.

From somewhere in the distance, Sasuke vaguely heard some whistles and cheering and reluctantly he pulled back to see a small blush was tinting Sakura's cheeks. In the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto nodding and grinning approvingly while Ino was practically bursting from excitement and joy.

Embarrassed, Sasuke glanced away and shoved his hands in his pockets. Unconsciously he looked down when he felt his right hand touch something in his pocket and immediately he remembered Sakura's gift.

The Uchiha glanced at Sakura to see she was trying to play off the kiss as nothing major and trying to get Ino to settle down. She was too distracted to be aware of him so when he carefully placed her present in her pocket she didn't notice. He smirked slightly at her obliviousness and quickly turned and disappeared back into the kitchen to get away from everyone.

By the time midnight was nearing almost everyone had left. Sasuke walked into the main room to grab his daughter and head home only to find Hinata and Sakura were talking on the couch with Keda asleep on the pink-haired medic's lap. The scene looked so natural it made Sasuke stop and stare and he realized this wasn't the first time in a short period of time he'd found Sakura with Keda completely at ease. His mind began to wonder over the possibilities of what life would be like if he asked Sakura to be his girlfriend. He could almost imagine kissing her every night before he went to sleep and waking up every morning to find her resting peacefully in his arms.

That thought made Sasuke stop dead. Where the _hell_ had that come from? He had already decided Sakura was too important, though he supposed he couldn't stop himself from thinking.

"Sasuke?" Sakura's voice suddenly cut into his thoughts.

The Uchiha focused his gaze on the pink-haired woman and saw that she and Hinata were staring at him expectantly. He stood frozen to the spot for a moment as he tried to recall what he came to do and eventually he nodded at his daughter. "I was on my way home."

"Oh," Sakura smiled. She gathered Keda up in her arms before she pulled herself to her feet. "I should get going home too. Thanks so much for having us over, Hinata."

The Hokage's wife smiled. "You're welcome any time Sakura, Sasuke."

She walked to the two to the door and once Sasuke place his shoes on he held his arms out for his daughter, but Sakura smiled and shook her head. "She's firmly latched on to me."

Sasuke stared for a moment before he turned his gaze downwards to find Keda's hands were fisted tightly on Sakura's shirt. This had happened before and he knew Keda wouldn't let go for anything other than her bed. With a sigh, Sasuke nodded and together the two headed towards the Uchiha compound.

When they finally placed Keda in her bed and got her situated it was well past midnight. The night was cold and the scent of water was in the air. Sasuke knew it was going to snow again in less than an hour and when he offered Sakura to spend the night he was surprised when she politely declined. She explained she had stuff to do early in the morning and didn't want to wake anyone up by leaving so she hugged him quickly before she disappeared into the night. It was only when Sasuke started changing into his sleep wear did he understand Sakura's ulterior motive.

The Uchiha pulled an envelope out of his back pocket and he stared at it for a long moment before he opened it. It was filled with money.

Confused, the Uchiha pulled out a handwritten note in Sakura's handwriting. It read:

_Sasuke,__  
I told you not to pay me. I know you were just trying to be polite, but I don't mind watching Keda. She's great.  
__Here's all the babysitting money.  
Sakura._

Sasuke sat on the edge of his bed and stared at her note. He couldn't help the smile that made its way to his lips and it was a long time before he finally got off his bed and finished getting ready.

That night he went to bed with a pink-haired woman in mind.

* * *

**(A/N: Yay, Sakura made up with Tsunade! And oh my god! They kissed! What will happen now? And Sasuke has feelings for Sakura now? What is the Shinobi world coming to?**

**Anyways, I don't know when the next chapter will be out. It's going to hard for me to write 'cause there's a lot of stuff in it I need to be sure gets into it. So yeah. **

**Thank you all for sticking with me even though I haven't been updating a lot. Please review. It really does help, no matter if you think it does or not. Can't wait to hear what you all have to say, thank you!!)**


	19. The Ultimatum

Why it took me so long to post the next chapter:

False:  
I died. I literally went to hell, had dinner with the devil _her_self and then came home and wrote this chapter.

True:  
I fell in love with ItaSaku (as you can see from other posts) and found myself at a dead end with SasuSaku stories.

Why I finally posted again:  
I had a dream about Sasuke and for some reason I felt like writing this story again. I don't know why.

PLEASE don't ask me when the next chapter is going to be out. I have finals coming up soon and I don't want to focus on making you guys happy (sorry if you take that offensively).

Anyway, thank you to all of those who have stuck with me! You are the best people ever!

Only 3 more chapters and an epilogue!

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen  
The Ultimatum**

The weeks that came after Naruto's Christmas party had Sakura so busy at the hospital she could hardly even keep track of the days. Her absence had left a huge impact on the hospital and Sakura found herself working double-shirts every other day. She tried to make time to hang out with her friends and visit Sasuke and Keda, but as of last week she'd performed over twenty surgeries and solved a dozen cases, giving her no time to talk with anyone but the medical staff.

Just today, Sakura had worked a double-shift and was halfway through her triple when she found herself falling asleep behind her desk. She could hardly keep her eyes open as she worked on her computer and thumped through a file. She didn't even realize she had folded her arms and laid her head down on her desk until she felt someone shake her awake.

Groggily Sakura glanced up and blinked the sleep back to see Tsunade was leaning over her with some files in hand. A small frown was on her face and she let out a sigh before she picked up the files Sakura had been sleeping on. "Go home, Sakura. You're no use around here half-asleep."

Sakura vaguely remembered nodding before she stood up and walked out of her office, leaving Tsunade to lock it for her. She walked out of the hospital and into the snow covered village not taking the time to notice anything as she made her way home wearily. Everything was in such a fog she hardly even noticed unlocking her front door and dragging herself upstairs until she was changing. She kicked her clothes into a pile, but froze when her foot made contact with something solid in her piles of clothes in her closet.

Confused, Sakura reached down and dug through her clothing until she found the object and carefully she pulled it out. It took her a moment to realize she was staring at a small box wrapped in silver wrapping paper. A white string was tied around it neatly with a small emblem she recognized immediately.

_The Uchiha symbol._

That could only mean one thing. It was from Sasuke.

Quietly Sakura walked to the side of her bed, her eyes never leaving the box, and sat down. The kunoichi gently grabbed the string and pulled it loose before she slowly unwrapped the three-week-old Christmas present. When Sakura pulled the paper off she stared at the small, plain white box curiously before she opened it. The sight that met she saw made her eyes widen in open shock.

It was the emerald necklace that she had saw in the shop window before she left on her mission.

Sakura stared at the necklace for a long time. Her eyes were still wide in surprise, but slowly a smile came to her face and she gently took the necklace out of the box and put it on. Lightly she traced the chain and touched the jewel as her eyes grew heavy again. Pulling back the covers, Sakura laid down and rested her head against her soft pillow, her hand lightly gripping the emerald as she fell asleep.

* * *

A few days had passed since Sakura had found Sasuke's Christmas present and she still had yet to take it off. She knew Tsunade and Shizune had noticed it, but they didn't ask, though something told Sakura they already knew who had gotten it for her. She didn't mind if they knew or not; it was very generous for Sasuke to buy it for her. Though how he knew she wanted it, she had no idea. She had seen it in passing.

Absentmindedly Sakura played with her necklace as she walked through the halls of the Hokage' Tower in the direction of Naruto's office. Her footsteps echoed quietly through the empty halls as she walked at her own pace. She hummed lightly, but stopped when she heard footsteps coming from the other direction. The charka signature immediately told her who it was.

"Sasuke," Sakura welcomed as he came into sight.

The look he gave her made her think he hadn't realized she was there until now and from experience, she knew that only happened when he was thinking deeply. Though she stared in surprise when she saw his Sharingan was activated and realized he was probably mad about something. Nonetheless, he stopped in front of her and nodded his head in greeting.

"I've been meaning to thank you for your Christmas present," Sakura smiled, her hand automatically touching the necklace around her neck.

Sasuke's eyes traveled to where her hand was before he quickly returned his gaze to her face. "You're welcome." Some strange expression flashed across his face when his gaze returned to her, but it vanished so quickly Sakura wasn't sure if she had seen it.

Silence fell over them and self-consciously Sakura looked away only to see Sasuke was holding a scroll. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she returned her gaze to his face. "Are you going on a mission?"

Sasuke looked down at his scroll and nodded slightly. He pursed his lips slightly before he finally spoke: "This one might take a while. I have to go to the boarder and I'm not sure how long it's going to take."

Sakura noticed how slowly and unsure he spoke and she realized he was nervous about asking her to watch Keda; though as to why she didn't know. Slowly she smiled at him and shook her head in confusion. "I told you that you could always ask me to watch Keda anytime you needed me to."

His frown was barely visible, but Sakura saw it. "You've been busy at the hospital. I didn't want to interfere."

She shook her head. "It's really no problem."

Sasuke hesitated again. "You're certain?"

Her smile didn't falter. "Of course. After all, I should after you bought me this necklace." She carefully touched the emerald again to show her point and after a moment Sasuke nodded his agreement much to her satisfaction.

"I'm leaving tomorrow at dawn."

Sakura smiled. "I'll be there."

Sasuke nodded his thanks before he walked past her, his arm lightly brushing hers on the way. She froze at the contact and glanced over her shoulder to watch her ex-teammate disappear around the corner. Sakura knew there was plenty of room for him to get by without touching her so why had he done it? Was it her imagination or was he too harboring feelings for her? She hoped it was the latter, but decided to push the thoughts away before she started making something up that wasn't true. After all, it wouldn't be good if she started chasing ideas.

* * *

The sun was already starting to set as Keda skipped ahead of Sakura into the training grounds. The pink-haired kunoichi smiled at the girl's child-like behavior and followed the young Uchiha to one of the many trees to set their stuff down.

Together they stretched and pushed their flexibility to the limits as they talked about everything. Sakura smiled as Keda began talking about how far ahead she was in the academy and listened as the young girl began telling her a story about how some of the other girls in her class got mad at her for being at the top.

"But then Haru made them stop," Keda grinned.

Sakura smiled in return. "So you like Haru then, huh?"

Keda's smile immediately vanished and she shook her head. "No! I don't-!"

"It's okay." Sakura leaned towards the younger girl with her smile still in place. "When I was your age, I used to have the biggest crush on your otousan."

Keda's face turned to one of pure amazement. "Really?"

Sakura nodded.

"What did you do?" Keda asked, her attention solely focused on Sakura.

Slowly Sakura stood up and grabbed a kunai from the pouch on her thigh. "I told him how I felt."

Keda continued to sit and she stared up at Sakura with curious eyes as the older woman prepared to throw her kunai at the target. "Have you told him that you like him now?" the Uchiha asked.

_Thump._

The kunai hit the very edge of the bull's eye and was attempting to keep its hold on the board as Sakura stared at Keda with surprised eyes. She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Keda smiled innocuously at her before she slowly stood and pulled out her own kunai for training. It took Sakura a long moment to recover and when she finally did Keda had already started practicing her aim.

"Okay, Keda," Sakura said, trying to clear her mind. "Today, I think we should work on dodging kunai, alright?"

Keda nodded at Sakura.

"Part of being a good ninja is being able to get out of situations alive, so I'm going to throw kunai at you and you're going to dodge them," Sakura explained.

Keda nodded again and took up a stance in the middle of the clearing as Sakura disappeared. She circled around the outskirts of the clearing, looking for an opening and tossed a kunai when she was sure Keda wasn't looking.

The young girl reacted immediately and she jumped out of the way before it struck her in the arm. Sakura launched another instantly afterwards, but instead of jumping out of the way Keda turned and knocked it away with her hand. Sakura watched impressed, but quickly moved to another spot and sent another kunai at her.

The sun started sinking in the sky as Sakura continued to throw kunai after kunai, making fake ones to keep them coming. She nodded approvingly as Keda jumped and dodged with the skill of a seasoned shinobi. At one point Keda had even grabbed one of the kunai and launched it back in the same direction as it had come. It made Sakura proud and she made a mental note to compliment Keda on it.

Sakura pulled another kunai from a scroll and threw it at Keda, but the young child froze and began looking around in panic. A sharp jolt went through Sakura's chest and she quickly pulled another kunai to intercept the first before she jumped down and ran towards Keda.

"Aneue!" she shrieked. "What happened?! I-I-. Help me!"

Immediately Sakura was at her side, healing chakra gathering in her hands. "Keda, what's wrong? What happened?"

She placed her hands on Keda's arms and searched through her system, checking for any injuries. Sakura made sure to look everything over twice and when she was sure there wasn't even the slightest cut on her Sakura looked back up at Keda.

What she saw made her freeze.

Keda's deep obsidian eyes were replaced by red, blazing Sharingan. Her eyes were looking around frantically as she tried to understand what she was seeing and Sakura couldn't help the smile that came to her face. "Keda," she said calmly. "Keda, you have the Sharingan. You got your Sharingan."

Keda's red eyes looked at her in confusion. "What? No, I can't." She looked panicked. "Otousan said I wouldn't get it until I was older. I can't have it." She shook her head furiously and closed her eyes as the tears came. "He's going to get mad at me. Please don't tell otousan."

Sakura stared at Keda in confusion. Why was she so scared? And what did she mean Sasuke was going to get mad at her? Sure, she got her Sharingan earlier than Sasuke did, but Sakura didn't think he would get mad at her. The tears running down Keda's cheeks almost convinced her that he would.

"Keda, Sasuke won't get mad at you," Sakura said with a smile. "He's going to be proud of you for getting it so early."

Slowly Keda's sobs stopped and she peeked at Sakura through her eyelashes. "Really?"

Sakura nodded. "Of course. He's going to be so proud of you that he's going to take you out to get ramen and ice cream and you get to have as much as you want!"

Keda slowly cracked a smile and she looked up at Sakura expectantly. "Really?"

"Yep!" she smiled.

The young girl wiped her tears away and nodded. "Aneue, will you be there with me when I tell otousan?"

Sakura's smile didn't falter. "Of course."

Keda glanced around the clearing, taking everything in with her new sight. She smiled as she walked around the clearing with curious eyes. She stopped to look at anything that caught her interest. The expression on her face reminded her of a little kid in a candy store after they were told they could get anything they wanted. Her innocent expression made her whole face light up and with the Sharingan it seemed to shine even brighter.

"Aneue, everything looks so different now!" Keda called. She raced back over Sakura and came to a halt in front of her. "You look really pretty with the Sharingan, aneue."

Sakura froze at Keda's words. She remembered the strange look Sasuke had given her in the Hokage's Tower before he left when he had his Sharingan activated. It had made her skin tingle in an unexplainable way that hadn't been unpleasant. Had he been thinking she was pretty too? Fiercely Sakura shook her head. No, she already told herself she was not going to chase the false ideas she was putting into her head.

"Thank you," Sakura smiled. "I'm so proud of you for getting the Sharingan. You know, I-."

"Looks like I made it just in time," a feminine voice interrupted.

Immediately Sakura froze. Her heart seemed to freeze in her chest before it went into hyper-drive and began hammering against her ribcage painfully. Her breath hitched and she swallowed once before she stood and turned to face the newcomer, gently pulling Keda behind her.

"Toshi," Sakura hissed lowly as the Sasuke's ex-wife stepped out from behind a tree.

The woman Sakura remembered from all those months ago hadn't changed much. Her black hair fell loosely to her mid-back and her rose-colored eyes still flashed with empty threats. Her lips were twisted into a small smirk, but she was no longer wearing civilian clothing. She was dressed in black shinobi slacks and a standard issue ANBU vest, but the metal headband hanging around her neck was what caught Sakura's attention. It was Sound.

"What the hell do you want?" Sakura snapped, already knowing the answer.

Toshi's smirk widened. "My daughter, of course."

Sakura shook her head once. "You know that's not an option."

Toshi's smirk turned completely wicked. "Oh, it will be."

Then suddenly she attacked her.

Sakura gathered Keda in her arms and jumped out of the way as kunai and shuriken struck the ground where she had been standing moments before. Quickly the pink-haired kunoichi jumped from tree to tree until she was sure she was far enough away.

She stilled and listened for any sound of pursuit. Only when silence met her ears did she turn to Keda. Her eyes were wide in fear and she was grasping Sakura in a death grip. The fear was rolling off of her in waves.

Carefully Sakura bent down. "Keda, let go of me."

The young Uchiha stared at her for a long moment before her fingers loosened. "Listen to me," Sakura said seriously, her voice calm, but firm. "Close your eyes and stay hidden. If anyone tries to grab you scream as loud as you can."

Only once she nodded in understanding and closed her eyes did Sakura turn and jump back into the clearing. Toshi was gone, but Sakura could feel the pulsing of her chakra nearby. Calmly the pink-haired woman stood in the clearing, waiting for her enemy's next move.

Then she heard it. The slicing of a kunai as it cut through the air.

Quickly Sakura did a backhand spring to jump out of the way as the kunai stuck itself in the ground. She let out a deep breath, but wasn't given the chance to recover as Toshi jumped at her. Sakura blocked her kick and grabbed her arm as she threw a punch before Sakura threw her across the clearing.

Toshi yelped in pain as her back made contact with a tree before she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura glared at the shadow-clone before she jumped back to avoid Toshi's kick. Dust kicked up as her foot made contact with the ground.

"You're quick," Toshi taunted.

Sakura glared in response.

"Oh don't be like that," Toshi scoffed. "You just hate me because Sasuke-kun married me and not you."

"Why do you want Keda so badly?" Sakura snapped as she avoided another punch.

Toshi laughed as she pulled out a kunai and spun it around her finger. "Because I have to hurt him like he hurt me."

Sakura stared at her in confusion, but didn't lower her guard. "What do you mean? How did he hurt you?"

The glare Toshi sent her was murderous. Her face twisted into so much pure rage and hurt it made Sakura's blood run cold and her skin crawl. "He killed my sister!" she screeched.

Sakura made sure to stand her ground even as the Sound shinobi glared at her with all the hate in the world. Her expression reminded her slightly of Sasuke when he was angry, but she quickly tossed that thought from her mind as she focused on what Toshi had said. "Your sister?"

"Yes, my sister," she repeated. "You should know of her; of Karin."

Sakura's eyes widened and her mouth parted in surprise. Karin? Sasuke didn't say she had a sister. Sasuke also didn't say he had married her sister. For some reason, Sakura felt like throwing up. He had married Karin's sister after he killed her? That was just….wrong.

"You do know of her then," Toshi glared.

Sakura took a deep, calming breath. "I've heard of her."

"Then you should know I loved her very much," Toshi hissed lowly. "And I will kill anyone that stops me from getting revenge on that Uchiha bastard."

Sakura braced herself as Toshi lunched herself at the pink-haired kunoichi only to yelp in surprise when she was hit from behind. The Toshi in front of her disappeared in a puff of smoke as something sharp struck Sakura in the leg. She sucked in a deep breath to keep from yelling out in pain before she flipped over and wrestled Toshi for dominance.

The pain in Sakura's leg hindered her, but she used her inhuman strength to throw Toshi off her back and straight into a tree. It cracked from the force behind the throw and the ex-Uchiha groaned as she was momentarily stunned. Sakura didn't waste a moment as she pulled the kunai out of her leg and jumped at her, weapons raised. She landed on Toshi and aimed at her throat, but the woman threw her arm up defensively, protecting her vital points. The black-haired woman let out a strangled cry as the weapon sank into the flesh of her arm, but Sakura kept a strong face as she pushed the blade in further.

Suddenly Toshi kneed Sakura in the ribs, successfully throwing her off. A sickening crack echoed through the clearing as Sakura felt a rib break and she fell to her knees for a moment as she tried to regain her breath before Toshi tore the blade from her arm and attacked again.

It was impossible to tell how much time passed as each kunoichi struck blow after blow. Sakura's chakra reserves were slowly getting lower and lower and the pain in her leg and ribs were doing nothing but hindering her from landing any deadly blows on her enemy. She was beginning to think the only way this fight would stop was when one of them finally passed out in exhaustion. Then Sakura heard it; a sharp, high-pitched scream that sent nearby birds to the sky.

_Keda!_

Immediately Sakura took off towards the sound, forgetting about the Toshi hiding in the trees nearby. It was obviously a clone.

Tears of pain spring to Sakura's eyes as the slightly torn muscles in her legs ripped further and her ribs poked uncomfortably into her lung, but she shoved them back vehemently and kept pushing herself until she was in the area she had left Keda. As she came into the clearing, Sakura skidded to a stop in time to see Toshi lean down to Keda with a sweet smile on her face. The child cringed away from her before she let out another shriek.

Sakura's eyes widened as Toshi raised her hand to hit her, but before her hand could come in contact with the child's face, Sakura grabbed her wrist in a death grip as she dug her nails into the kunai wound she had inflicted on her earlier. Painful tears sprung to the older woman's eyes and reluctantly she let Keda slide to the ground.

"This ends here," Sakura said fiercely as she fought the older woman to the ground.

Toshi thrashed under her, her hand coming in contact with the stab wound on Sakura's leg, but she kept her painful grip on her arm and pulled out a kunai. As the blade pressed against the flesh of Toshi's throat, Sakura saw fear flash across her eyes for the first time since the beginning of their fight.

"Why are you trying so hard to protect her?" Toshi snapped out angrily as she struggled to get away.

Sakura bared her teeth menacingly. "Because I have had loved ones taken from me and I refuse to let it happen again if I can stop it."

"Keda's not even your daughter," she countered.

Sakura glanced over her shoulder at the young Uchiha girl sitting on the ground to find her staring at the two older women in fear. That was Sakura's fatal mistake.

Quickly Toshi tore herself out of Sakura's grip, yelling in the process as the wound in her arm tore open wider, before she jumped on Sakura, her knee coming in painful contact with the wound on her leg. A loud moan of pain ripped its way out of Sakura's mouth but she fought vigorously against Toshi as the women fought for dominance. Luckily for Sakura, the gods were with her and she managed to pin Toshi to the ground again before she rammed a kunai through her stomach.

The black-haired woman froze at the sudden pain and sucked in a choked breath as she realized what happened. Her pale rose-colored eyes turned to Sakura. Her gaze was full of pain, but beneath it was a deep hatred and something else. Jealousy maybe?

Carefully Sakura loosened her white-knuckle grip on the kunai protruding from the woman's stomach, but she didn't let the weapon go as she leaned down to whisper in her ear the answer to her earlier question. "She's close enough," Sakura breathed quietly, "and Sasuke would never forgive me if I let her be taken by someone as pathetic as you."

Rage darkened Toshi's eyes before she sucked in one last choked breath and the life faded from her eyes.

As silence finally settled around the clearing, Sakura lowered herself off her knees onto her rear and breathed in the cool, night air softly as she stretched her injured leg out in front of her and bent the other at the knee. She could feel pain in her chest and leg and a select few other places, but nothing compared to the sudden feeling of disgust and horror over the fact that Sakura had just killed Keda's mother right in front of her.

Keda had never known Toshi was her mother, but what was worse was Keda had seen someone die in front of her for the first time in her life. It just made the situation worse that it had been her mother. Sakura felt so sick she thought she was going to throw up as her chest heaved painfully.

Suddenly, a hand touched Sakura's arm before a smaller arm hooked around her elbow and a head buried itself in the back of her shoulder. Slowly Sakura looked behind her to see Keda was crying softly. As carefully as possible, Sakura took her arm out of Keda's grasp and wrapped in around her shoulder. Immediately the little girl turned her face into Sakura's collarbone, the tears getting her shirt wet.

"Keda…" Sakura started slowly.

"I was so scared," Keda murmured at last. "I thought she was going to hurt you, aneue."

Sakura had to swallow the sob that threatened to escape her lips. "You're safe now, Keda," she said softly. "We need to get to the Hokage's Tower."

Keda looked up at her with her dark eyes and nodded before she stood. It took Sakura a moment longer to get to her feet before she hoisted Keda up onto her hip. Sakura cringed at the sudden added weight applied to her leg and the pain that shot through her side, but she ignored it as she trudged through the forest towards the Hokage's Tower.

By the time Sakura reached the building, she was about to pass out from pain and chakra depletion. She set Keda on the ground as they reached the stairs. When they walked into Naruto's office without knocking, his head snapped up with an annoyed expression at the sudden intrusion. Obviously he had been in the middle of something with Shikamaru, Tsunade, and another shinobi Sakura couldn't remember the name of at the moment.

Slowly Naruto's expression turned to one of confusion as he stood up from his chair. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

"Toshi attacked us in the forest," Sakura managed to say before the dizziness finally caught up with her and she hit the floor in a dead faint.

* * *

The moon was already high in the sky by the time Sasuke reached Konoha and walked towards the Hokage's Tower. Frost sparkled on the ground and stars dotted the sky, giving the feeling of a perfect night. Sasuke's breath created a white fog in the sky as his boots left small footprints in the thin frost.

When Sasuke pushed the doors open to the Hokage's Tower, he immediately knew something was off. It was quiet, but not the type of quiet that was usually held at night. There was no soft murmuring of shinobi or the shuffling of papers. There was nothing. It was dead silent.

Immediately the Uchiha picked up his pace and jogged up the stairs to the Hokage's office. When he finally pushed the doors open, he knew something was wrong.

There were ANBU surrounding Naruto's desk, looking over what appeared to be a report. Neji was standing near the window with Kiba while Tenten spoke quietly with Hinata. The wife of the Hokage had her child in her arms and strangely enough, Keda's head was resting in her lap.

Where was Sakura?

"Sasuke," Naruto suddenly said. He stood at realizing the Uchiha was in the room. Almost immediately every eye turned to him as silence fell. "We need to talk," Naruto said seriously.

Sasuke eyes him suspiciously. "Where's Sakura?"

Naruto glanced at Hinata before he quickly returned his gaze to Sasuke. "She's in the hospital."

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed slightly. "She told me she wasn't working this week."

Naruto's face turned even darker at his comment. "She's not on duty, Sasuke." He said slowly. "She's there as a patient. Your ex-wife tried to kill her."

* * *

Honestly, I don't like this chapter. I feel like it jumps around a lot, but I didn't give it a lot of effort either. Anyway, tell me what you think. Thanks for everyone who reviews!!


	20. Heartbeat

So the last person to review (SNmoonlit) really made me want to write the next chapter. I loved all of your reviews, but theirs was kind of the final push to make me get another chapter up, so thank you!

Um...as for the rest of you, I know you're probably all standing by because it's been like five...six(?) months since the last time I posted, but I have one request! Please don't touch the face! I kind of like it! Other than that, stab at will, just know it will take me longer to get the next chapter up if you so chose to make a murder attempt on me.

But enough of that! Read! Go enjoy! (I think this was actually pretty written than most of my last chapters...at least I hope it is haha)

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!!

* * *

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**Chapter Nineteen  
Heartbeat**

It was the constant beep of the heart monitor that was slowly lulling Sasuke to sleep, he realized. As long as one heartbeat came after another he found himself slowly dozing off, still exhausted from his mission. He wasn't sure how long his eyes were closed, but when he heard the machine beep slightly earlier than the rest, his eyes snapped open and watched the involuntary movement of her leg as she shifted it and fell still once more, never coming out of her unconscious state. Unintentionally Sasuke looked over her once more to be sure he could still see the rise and fall of her chest before he turned his attention to her face.

Her full, pink lips were parted slightly as she breathed and her deep emerald green eyes were hidden behind closed lids. Her pale skin was even paler now in her condition, making her pastel pink hair stand out even more than usual, but even in her unhealthy state she was the most beautiful thing Sasuke had seen; and as he sat there watching her in the hospital chair next to the bed, he had realized after a long, long time that he no longer viewed Sakura as just a friend. He had discovered that he had a crush on her, but as he continued to sit in the quiet room, he knew that the reason his heart had pounded so painfully against his chest when he had learned Sakura was in the hospital was not simply because he had a crush on her. It was so much more than that. It was because he loved her.

_He loved her._

The feelings he had for her were so strong he doubted if love could even begin to cover the intensity of what he was feeling as he watched her now lying unconscious in the hospital bed with equipment and monitors surrounding her. And it made his chest constrict painfully at knowing he had been the one who had indirectly hurt her.

If he had not asked her to watch Keda and make sure Toshi never got her, she would not be injured so severely. He felt guilty. He felt so incredibly at fault that he wanted to grab Keda and leave Sakura alone so he couldn't harm her again. But he knew that he wouldn't be able to do that. He felt so much for Sakura that he could never just walk away from her and for some reason he could not fathom, it comforted him. Because he knew that if he left Sakura again, she would hate him forever and he knew he couldn't live with that.

Suddenly Sakura groaned causing Sasuke snap his attention back to the woman in front of him. He stood from the chair he had been sitting in and leaned over her. Gently he reached for her hand as she cracked her eyes open and sighed deeply. She blinked once before her eyes focused and landed on him. "Sasuke?"

"It's me," he answered quietly. His free hand brushed a few strands of hair out of her way before he rested it on her head.

"What happened?" she asked slowly. Then her eyes widened and she sat up abruptly. "Keda. How is she? Is she alright?" She pulled her hand out of Sasuke's and pressed her palms to her face. "Oh god, Toshi didn't get her, did she? I'm so sorry, Sasuke. I tried-."

Sasuke sat on the edge of her hospital bed and cupped her face gently as he smoothed his thumb over her cheek to relax her. "Sakura, calm down," he said quietly. "Keda is fine; she's in Naruto's office."

Slowly Sakura pulled her hands away from her face to stare at him. She breathed out a sigh of relief before she closed her eyes and allowed her face to rest in his hands. For awhile, neither moved. Sasuke allowed Sakura to rest her head in his hands – not that he minded – as she calmed herself, but eventually she opened her eyes and gently placed her hands over Sasuke's and pulled them away from her face. She stared at him uncertainly. "Sasuke, I killed Toshi."

A small frown etched onto Sasuke's face as Sakura pulled his hands away, but he didn't say anything. He watched her for a long moment as her words sunk in.

Naruto hadn't told him that; only that Toshi tried to kill Sakura. At that fact, something hard sunk in his stomach. He no longer loved Toshi – hell, he wasn't sure if he ever loved her, but he didn't want her dead. She was Keda's biological mother and though she had never met her and now never would, he didn't know what Keda would think when she grew up and found out Sakura had killed her mother. Would she care or would she hate Sakura?

Gently Sasuke placed his hand over Sakura's and gave her the smallest hint of a smile when she peeked up at him through her eyelashes. "It's alright, Sakura," he said quietly. "Keda never knew her mother."

Sakura's eyes fell downcast once more . "And now she never will."

With his other hand, Sasuke pulled her chin up, silently asking for her to look at him. After a long moment, she did. "Sakura, I never would have allowed Keda to meet her mother," he said quietly, surprising himself. He had thought when Keda was old enough he would allow her to meet her mother, but now that she was dead, he was almost relieved that she couldn't meet her. After all, Toshi never wanted her child in the first place.

Sakura's eyes fell to her lap once more as she frowned. "You married Karin's sister."

He stilled at her words and slowly he pulled his hands away from her. "Did Toshi tell you that?"

Her lack of an answer told him.

"She didn't know the entire story," Sasuke said quietly as he turned his gaze out to the window next to the bed. Slowly he stood and walked to the glass panel. He was quiet for a long moment as he watched the birds fly out from their hiding places in the trees and out into the late afternoon sky. Then he sighed softly. "Karin was the one to tell me about her sister. I was with her when Orochimaru left her to die in the darkest room of the deepest floor in the hideout. She asked me to watch out for her sister and I promised her as my only act of kindness towards her that I would." He felt Sakura's eyes on him, but he didn't turn to her. "I told Toshi what happened to her sister and for years she blamed me, but eventually we became lovers of sorts when I brought her to Konoha. Everything just fell apart after Keda was born."

"Sasuke…" Sakura murmured quietly after he finished. He turned back to her when she hissed softly in pain. "You never killed Karin?" she asked as she place her legs over the side of the bed in what he knew was her attempt to get up.

Quickly he was back at her side as he kept her from getting out of the bed. He placed his hand on her back and helped lift her injured leg back onto the mattress before he carefully helped her rest back against the pillows.

As she shifted to get comfortable, the necklace he had given her for Christmas fell out of her shirt and he stared in surprise at the fact that she was still wearing it. He paused for only a moment as he watched his dangle from her neck before he refocused. "Well, I cannot exactly say that," he said quietly as he kept his eyes downcast. "I did kill her, but only because Orochimaru told me that if I didn't kill her, he would." He paused. "And I knew that he would kill her mercilessly."

He could feel her frown, but he refused to meet her eyes as they sat in silence.

Then Sakura shifted and winced slightly. "How bad is it?"

Sasuke's eyes turned to her at her question and followed her gaze down to her bandaged leg. "Tsunade-sama came in earlier. She said a deep stab wound to your thigh and a broken rib, but nothing too serious."

Sakura pursed her lips slightly as she closed her eyes. "Did she say when I would be released?"

"Within the next few days," he replied.

She hummed in reply as she kept her eyes closed. Sasuke watched her for a long moment before he stood up from his seat on the edge of her bed, causing Sakura to crack open her eyes before he grabbed her blankets and pulled them further up on her body. He leaned down carefully and kissed her forehead before he murmured to her, "Get some rest, Sakura."

He stood next to her bed and watched her fight her weariness until she eventually gave up and allowed her breathing to slow. Only once it was completely even did Sasuke make for the door.

Once at the exit, he glanced back at her and stared at her sleeping face as his earlier realization came back to him. _He loved her._ And gods help him because he knew it wasn't the small, secret crush he had before when he left to sound; this was real. It made his head spin. How could he love someone so much? And what would Keda think? He knew she liked Sakura, but would she be able to accept Sakura as her mother or a parental figure if things did progress? He wasn't sure and he didn't think he was ready to ask his daughter.

Another slow moment passed before Sasuke opened and closed the heavy door as quietly as he could before he made towards the Hokage's Tower.

When he walked into Naruto's office, Sasuke found the Hokage was standing behind his desk with Hinata sitting on the armrest of the couch as she gently stroked Keda's hair. At the sight of him, Hinata smiled tightly before Naruto turned around to look at him. A long moment passed as they stared at one another.

"How is she?" Naruto finally asked quietly.

Sasuke shrugged slightly. "She woke for a little while before she fell back asleep. She's already asked when she was going to be released."

The corner of Naruto's mouth lifted slightly. "That would be Team Seven's main focus in a hospital."

Sasuke huffed in amusement before his lips turned down in a frown. "Tsunade-sama told me that Sakura is lucky to have made it to the Tower."

Naruto nodded once. "She collapsed the moment she walked in the door." Sasuke's frown deepened as Naruto took a seat at his desk. "I think it's time you tell me about Toshi."

Sasuke spared his daughter a glance before he nodded and took a seat at one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

* * *

There was still a dull throbbing in Sakura's leg as she pushed herself off the hospital bed and placed her full weight on her once-injured leg for the first time in three days. Tsunade had her chart in one hand and a pen in the other as she wrote down Sakura's progress, but she ignored the older woman as she took a quick turn about the room.

"Alright, Sakura," Tsunade said, "it looks like you're ready to be released."

Sakura looked at the blonde woman as she smiled. "Finally. I feel like I've been here for a week."

Tsunade smiled in return before they walked towards the door together and out into the halls. Tsunade handed a nurse Sakura's file on their way to the front doors and stopped when they were just at the all glass panels. "I'll expect to see you at work in three days."

Sakura smiled and nodded before she pushed the doors open and made her way out into the crisp air. With her injury, her steps were a bit heavier than normal, causing her to kick up dust and rocks in her slow pace towards her house. The sun was out, but with the early months of the year still in season, the air was cooler, blocking out the usually warm rays. Though to Sakura, it didn't matter. The sunny day was keeping a small smile on her face and her mood bright as she nodded and waved at those she recognized. She had almost made it halfway home before she realized there was something she'd forgotten to do.

At the next crossroads, Sakura turned left instead of continuing straight and made her way into the less frequented areas on town. She ignored the bars and other alcoholic restaurants she'd never been in before and continued until she reached the small store on the corner.

A small bell above her head jingled at the sound of her entry and immediately a man in his late forties walked out of the back. He was wiping his dirty hands on an even dirtier rag, but at the sight of her, he stopped and smiled. "Sakura-san, I was wondering if you'd ever return."

She smiled as she stepped further into the small store and towards the front counter. "Of course I would, Ryuu-san," she said. She glanced around at the kunai hanging on the wall behind the counter for a moment before she turned her attention back to him. "Is my order ready yet?"

"Ready?" Ryuu asked incredibly as he tucked his towel into his pants loop. "Of course it's ready. Been ready since the beginning of last month."

Sakura's smile widened at his tone as he turned around and went into the back. He appeared a few minutes later with a long and thin box in his hand and placed in on the counter in front of her. Carefully Sakura pulled the top off and double checked her order before she replaced the lid. "It's perfect," she said. "How much?"

"Nine thousand yen," Ryuu replied.

Quickly Sakura pulled out enough money to pay for it before she carefully picked up her package and left the shop with a quick wave to the owner on the way out. With her order now in hand, Sakura made her way back to the busier parts of town and down a path she had been many times before.

It got quieter the closer she got to her destination and when she finally knocked on the door it only took Sasuke about a minute to answer the door– she would know; she counted. Though when he saw her standing there with a large box in her hands his left eyebrow rose in surprise. "Sakura."

"Hey, Sasuke," she greeted with a smile. "Mind if I come in for a minute?"

He shook his head once and stepped back far enough for Sakura to get by with her box in hand. Casually she made her way towards the kitchen and set the box on the table before she turned to him.

He just stared at her. "What is that?" he asked.

She smiled and gestured to it. "Open it and maybe you'll find out."

His eyes just narrowed at her for a moment before he stepped forward and pulled the lid off as carefully as she had done earlier. Sakura's lips widened in a small smile as he placed the lid next to the box before he froze and turned to her with a look of barely concealed surprise…and was that excitement?

At his look, Sakura just stared at him with that smile on her face and took a step forward to get a better look. When she didn't say anything, he eventually turned back to the box and pulled out the sheathed katana that rested inside. A sharp ringing echoed quietly through the kitchen as he pulled the blade out and looked at it. She watched him carefully with a small smile as his eyes looked over every major and minor detail: the handle, the sharpened blade, the _name_.

She noticed his eyes rested on the kanji that made up his last name the longest before he went on to examine the rest of the sword.

"You got me a katana?" Sasuke asked slowly, his eyes never leaving the blade.

"That's silver filigree in the handle. It gives it a better balance than most other swords," she explained. "I had it made especially for you. I know your last one got destroyed when you" – she stopped when she almost said killed Itachi – "when it got destroyed so I thought you'd like a new one."

Sasuke's eyes turned to her. "Why are you giving it to me now?"

Sakura laughed and crossed her arms as he sheathed the blade and set in on the table carefully. "Well my original plan was to give it to you as a Christmas gift, but I got the order in late and then…well everything happened and so it's been delayed by a month…" she trailed off. "Well maybe two."

She smiled sheepishly at him, but it faded when he grabbed her elbow and pulled her to him to give her a brief hug. "Thank you, Sakura," he murmured into her hair.

At the contact, Sakura's breath caught and her mind turned to focus on the warmth seeping into her front from their body contact. She wondered what it would be like to receive his warm embrace every day, but the thought was quickly broken when she heard hurried footsteps race down the stairs and through the hall. They broke their hug just in time for Sakura to get another by a much shorter and much younger person.

"Keda," Sakura said breathlessly as she stepped back from the force of the sudden hug. She winced as her leg wound throbbed slightly but her grip around the girl didn't loosen. Sakura kept her arms around the girl for a little while, but when she realized the girl had no intention of letting go, Sakura gently pried her arms off her waist and sat down on the chair behind her, her hands never letting go of the younger child. It was when she was down at her height that Sakura realized Keda was crying softly.

"Keda, what's wrong?" Sakura asked quietly.

She sniffed slightly and wiped the tears away on one cheek as she looked at Sakura. "It's my fault you got hurt," she said shakily. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been in the hospital and hurt. I'm sorry."

At that, Sakura turned to look at Sasuke but he said nothing as he watched. Eventually she swallowed quietly before she turned back to the young child. Keda was still crying softly when Sakura returned her attention to her and gently she took hold of the girl's hands and held them in her own. "Listen to me carefully, Keda," Sakura said quietly. The young girl sniffed and looked Sakura in the eye. "That was not your fault," she said softly but firmly. "You didn't do anything to start it and there was nothing you could have done to prevent it. Do you understand?"

Keda sniffed again before she nodded. Sakura gave her a smile before she let go of the girl's hands and gripped her shoulders to bring her close enough to hug. The young girl hugged her back and the only thing that crossed her mind was how thankful she was that she had stopped Toshi from taking Keda. Then suddenly tears sprung to her eyes when Keda whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

"Kaa-san…"

* * *

So I know it's kind of short, but was it good? I kind of thought so....

And I'm not going to tell you guys that I'll be updating this soon because for those of you that have been with me since the beginning know it's a lie! (And now those of you that just arrived know too).

Anyway, like always tell me what you think!


	21. Author's Note

**A/N: Important!**

So I know all of you who have read this story from the beginning and those of you who have just found this story have been waiting a very long time to read the next chapter of this story, but let's be honest, we all know I'm not going to finish this story. All of you were right of course! Sasuke and Sakura do get together and Keda becomes Sakura's "daughter" of sorts.

I'm terribly sorry that I wasn't able to finish this, but I no longer have any desire to write SasuSaku stories anymore. I don't hate Sasuke, but I don't think Sasuke and Sakura should ever be together.

So again, I'm sorry.

This story is officially discontinued.

- Sariasprincy


	22. Adoption

So I've had a couple of people asking about someone else adopting my story and one person even saw fit that they advertise it for me.

Please do not! This story is NOT available for adoption and I do not like that people are advertising it for me. If this continues, I will take the story down.

Thank you, Sariasprincy


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